3 Dividend Stocks to Buy for Triple-Digit Total Gains by 2030

If you’re looking into dividend stocks with high yields or just to add ballast to your portfolio, you’re likely coming across companies that are growing slowly and don’t have much upside potential. These “boring” investments can and sometimes do outperform in the long run, but it’s also a good idea to buy into some dividend stocks that are sitting at big discounts.

Such opportunities rarely arise, but if you can look past the fear and buy some solid businesses during the dips, it’s likely you’ll be the one laughing your way to the bank once they eventually recover. Of course, no one can guarantee a recovery or know how long it may take. Still, it’s wise to keep some rebound bets in your portfolio to boost your returns.

The following dividend stocks come with risk-reward tradeoffs that are in your favor if you’re looking for 100%-plus total returns by 2030.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH)

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) seems to be undergoing a once-in-a-lifetime decline at the moment. The stock has plunged by around 50% from its April peak and has traded mostly sideways in the past month due to a series of negative catalysts.

None of those catalysts made this stock a “screaming buy” back then. UnitedHealth missed estimates, pulled its guidance for 2025, its CEO stepped down, and it was hit by the Department of Justice investigation, all in the span of just over a month. But now that all of those negatives have been priced into the stock, I do think UNH stock is a screaming buy at the moment.

The initial negative catalyst was its first earnings miss since 2008, where it posted EPS of $7.2 vs. the $7.3 estimate. That’s certainly bad, and the following events are also bad, but I do not think all of them combined justify a 50% drawdown from April prices. The fundamentals are still strong. UnitedHealth is the biggest U.S. insurance company, and that title isn’t slipping away anytime soon. The expectations are much lower now, and the stock is at a bargain basement valuation.

You’re paying 12.66 times earnings at the moment, compared to the historical median of 22 times earnings paid by Wall Street. UnitedHealth is expected to continue growing its revenue this decade at around 8.4% annually. EPS is expected to decline by 19.5% this year, but it is expected to start recovering sharply starting in 2026 with 17.32% year-over-year growth.

UnitedHealth’s current woes shouldn’t keep it depressed for too long, so I expect it to make a full recovery by 2030. You can collect its 2.94% dividend yield while waiting for it to recover.

Verizon (VZ)

Verizon (NYSE:VZ) has just started to come out of a rough patch and is up only 3.2% in the past year. It is amidst a multi-year turnaround, and things are looking up. The main cause of Verizon’s decline was mostly due to higher interest rates and sluggish growth in the telecom sector. Net interest losses were at $6.3 billion in FY 2024. But even then, Verizon has posted $17.5 billion in net income, comfortably covering its dividends.

Rate cuts are expected to start again in September, followed by another possible cut as early as October. These cuts should reduce debt servicing costs even more. On top of that, Verizon’s growth is starting to pick up once more due to the data center boom. Verizon is seeing major demand from hyperscalers, and Wall Street’s perception is shifting on the telecom industry. The internet is no longer seen as something discretionary, and the resilient demand in the past few years has proven that it is quite essential.

Verizon’s closest peer, AT&T (NYSE:T) has already made a triple-digit recovery from its trough, and VZ stock seems poised to do the same due to the better growth outlook and likely rate cuts.

Better yet, VZ comes with a 6.37% dividend yield.

Dollar General (DG)

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) has been languishing for nearly three years, but the stock may have bottomed out for good this year. It is up 45.5% year-to-date. Management is seeing success with its “back to basics” strategy, and it trounced estimates in its Q1 FY 2025 report. Dollar General reported $1.78 in EPS, up 7.9% vs. analyst expectations of $1.46.

The company has underperformed so far due to inflation crushing lower-income Americans, but the situation has been improving. Its new strategy is improving the condition of its stores, and the changing economic cycle is much more conducive to a long-term recovery.

EPS (minus non-recurring items) is expected to grow nearly 12% annually this decade, along with 4.3% annual revenue growth in the same timeframe. Debt has also plateaued at $18.09 billion and has been reduced by around $1 billion in the past year.

Dollar General is a mainstay in many rural communities and is a household name. As interest rates come down and lower-income Americans recover from the inflation shock, so will DG stock. It is still down 57.7% from its 3-year highs.

DG stock also comes with a 2.15% dividend yield.

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