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Dividend stocks are a favorite among investors for good reason. They provide a steady income stream and offer a promising avenue for total return. Total return, a comprehensive measure of investment performance, encompasses interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over time, promising a bright future for your investments.
In simpler terms , it is the sum of income and stock appreciation. This means dividend stocks can boost investment success by delivering regular income and capital appreciation.
We screened our 24/7 Wall St. large-cap dividend universe, looking for the best companies for investors to look at now. With the S&P 500 up 15% in the first half of 2024, it's a good bet that we see a hefty correction at some point later this year. Investors with big gains on aggressive technology stocks may want to move some capital to the six highest-paying dividend blue chip stocks to buy in July.
Altria 
Altria, founded in 1822, manufactures and sells cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products, and alcoholic beverages.
This tobacco company offers value investors a great entry point now and a rich 8.52% dividend. Altria Group Inc. ( NYSE: MO ) manufactures and sells smokable and oral tobacco products in the United States through its subsidiaries.
The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand and these other products:
- Cigars and pipe tobacco, principally under the Black & Mild brand
- Moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands
- on! Oral nicotine pouches
It sells its tobacco products primarily to wholesalers, including distributors and large retail organizations, such as chain stores.
Altria used to own over 10% of Anheuser-Busch InBev ( NYSE: BUD ), the world's largest brewer. The company sold 35 million of its 197 million shares through a global secondary offering. That represents 18% of its holdings, but that still leaves a hefty 8% of the outstanding shares in its back pocket. They also announced a $2.4 billion stock repurchase plan partially funded by the sale.
BXP 
BXP operates as a real estate investment trust. It develops, acquires, manages, and owns a portfolio of Class A properties.
This company was formerly known as Boston Properties and pays a sizable 6.46% dividend. BXP Inc. ( NYSE: BXP ) is the largest publicly traded developer, owner, and manager of premier workplaces in the United States.
It is concentrated in six dynamic gateway markets:
- Boston
- Los Angeles
- New York
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- District of Columbia
BXP is a fully integrated real estate company organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT), boasts an impressive portfolio. This includes 53.5 million square feet and 187 properties, with 11 properties currently under construction/redevelopment.
The company's portfolio features 165 office properties, 14 retail properties (including two under construction/redevelopment), seven residential properties (including two under construction), and one hotel.
BXP is well known for its in-house building management expertise and responsiveness to clients' needs. BXP holds a superior track record of developing premium Central Business District (CBD) office buildings, successful mixed-use complexes, suburban office centers and build-to-suit projects for a diverse array of creditworthy clients.
Chevron 
Chevron is an American multinational energy corporation predominantly specializing in oil and gas.
This integrated giant is a safer way for investors looking to get positioned in the energy sector, pays a rich 4.17% dividend. Chevron Corp. ( NYSE: CVX ) engages in integrated energy and chemicals operations worldwide through its subsidiaries.
The company operates in two segments:
The Upstream segment is involved in the following:
- Exploration, development, production, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas
- Processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas
- Transportation of crude oil through pipelines
- Transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as operating a gas-to-liquids plant
The Downstream segment engages in:
- Refining crude oil into petroleum product
- Marketing crude oil, refined products, and lubricants
- Manufacturing and marketing renewable fuels
- Transporting crude oil and advanced products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car
- Manufacturing and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives
Chevron announced in the fall of 2023 that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Hess Corp. ( NYSE: HES ) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Hess in an all-stock transaction valued at $53 billion, or $171 per share based on Chevron’s closing price on October 20, 2023. Under the terms of the agreement, Hess shareholders will receive 1.0250 shares of Chevron for each Hess share. The transaction's total enterprise value, including debt, is $60 billion.
Three lawsuits have been filed against Hess, charging inadequate disclosure over the sale, and Chevron has said arbitration over Hess's Guyana assets could delay the closing timeline until October 2025. However, most Wall Street analysts feel the deal ultimately will get done, and Chevron will emerge even more powerful in the energy sector.
Dominion Energy 
Dominion Energy operates in 16 states across the United States and offers affordable energy to more than 7 million customers.
Many of the Wall Street firms we cover are still very positive on utilities despite the sharp move higher this year, and this company pays a strong 5.56% dividend.
Dominion Energy Inc. ( NYSE: D ) operates through four segments:
- Dominion Energy Virginia
- Gas Distribution
- Dominion Energy South Carolina
- Contracted Assets
The Dominion Energy Virginia segment generates, transmits, and distributes regulated electricity to residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in Virginia and North Carolina.
The Gas Distribution segment engages in
- Regulated natural gas gathering
- Transportation
- Distribution and sales activities
- Distributes nonregulated renewable natural gas
This segment serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers.
The Dominion Energy South Carolina segment:
- Generates
- Transmits
- Distributes electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in South Carolina
The company's portfolio of assets included approximately:
- 30.2 gigawatts of electric generating capacity
- 10,500 miles of electric transmission lines
- 85,600 miles of electric distribution lines
- 94,200 miles of gas distribution lines
- Dominion serves approximately 7 million customers
Franklin Resources 
Franklin Resources is one of the world's largest investment managers, and it is better known as Franklin Templeton.
This company is a mutual fund powerhouse that pays a safe and secure 5.60% dividend. Franklin Resources Inc ( NYSE: BEN) is among the most prominent global money managers.
The firm markets mutual funds and institutional separate accounts under the Franklin, Templeton, and Mutual Series brands. At times, 50% of its sales are from outside the United States, an advantage given the maturing U.S. market.
Franklin Resources offers its products and services under these brands:
- Franklin
- Templeton
- Franklin Mutual Series
- Franklin Bissett
- Fiduciary Trust
- Darby
- Balanced Equity Management
- K2
- LibertyShares
- Edinburgh Partners
The 2023-2024 bull market has proven to be a solid tailwind for the company. While withdrawals from baby boomers may be a concern, the path forward looks solid.
Pfizer 
Pfizer is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral in Manhattan.
This top pharmaceutical stock was a massive winner in the COVID-19 vaccine sweepstakes but has been crushed as many are not getting boosters. Pfizer Inc. ( NYSE: PFE ) discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide and pays a hefty 5.95% dividend, which has risen yearly for the past 14 years.
The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including:
- Cardiovascular metabolic and women's health under the Premarin family and Eliquis brands
- Biologics, small molecules, immunotherapies, and biosimilars under the Ibrance, Xtandi, Sutent, Inlyta, Retacrit, Lorbrena, and Braftovi brands
- Sterile injectable and anti-infective medicines and oral COVID-19 treatment under the Sulperazon, Medrol, Zavicefta, Zithromax, Vfend, Panzyga, and Paxlovid brands.
Pfizer also provides medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, such as:
- Pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease, tick-borne encephalitis
- COVID-19 under the Comirnaty/BNT162b2, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, Trumenba, and the Prevnar family brands
- Biosimilars for chronic immune and inflammatory diseases under the Xeljanz, Enbrel, Inflectra, Eucrisa/Staquis, and Cibinqo brands
- Amyloidosis, hemophilia, and endocrine diseases under the Vyndaqel/Vyndamax, BeneFIX, and Genotropin brands
Trading at its lowest split-adjusted level in 13 years, the stock is an incredible bargain at current levels and pays a massive dividend. Despite a stunning 44% decline in profits, the company still posted first-quarter earnings that came in above Wall Street estimates. The company reported $0.55 diluted earnings per share and $14.9 billion in first-quarter sales, trouncing analysts' $0.51 and $13.87 billion estimates, respectively.
While the pharmaceutical giant reported its fifth straight year of year-over-year revenue and net income declines, the numbers are still skewed somewhat from the enormous revenues posted during the pandemic. Patient investors will get paid one of the highest blue-chip dividends going, and shares trade at a reasonable 10.75 times estimated 2025 earnings.
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