As the market dips, I’m eyeing dividend plays like KO and PM – what stocks are on your buy list right now?

With trade war volatility off the charts, investors are hunting for safety in safe dividend stocks.

That’s because dividend stocks can help smooth out the ride when markets drop. Plus, companies that consistently pay dividends tend to be safer, high-quality businesses with a history of weathering downturns.

Even better, according to this Reddit post, “Dividends don’t look to be falling as bad as tech. Maybe people coming over for the yield.”

If it’s safety and income you’re after, here are just a few of the top dividend stocks to consider.

Stag Industrial 

With a yield of about 5%, Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) is a real estate investment trust, or REIT that leases industrial properties, such as warehouses and distribution centers to e-commerce companies. Better, it’s also benefiting from consumers shifting to online shopping. 

“Current projections estimate that by 2025, online shopping could represent one-quarter of all retail transactions,” says MidMichiganNow.com. “This shift is primarily driven by the convenience of shopping from home, which offers consumers the ability to browse and purchase without the need to travel, endure potential crowds, or face the disappointment of out-of-stock items.” As long as that trend continues, REITs like STAG should benefit.

Recent earnings have also been strong.

In its fourth quarter, funds from operations (FFO) was 61 cents, which beat by a penny.

Revenue of $199.33 million, up 8.7% year over year, beat by $5.65 million. With 2025 core FFO per share projected between $2.46 and $2.50 and same-store NOI (net operating income) growth anticipated at 3.5% to 4%, the company is well-positioned moving forward.

Pfizer 

Or, take a look at Pfizer (NYSE:PFE).

With a yield of about 8%, Pfizer is the cheapest it’s been since 2016. Plus, at just $21.59 a share, the stock now trades at less than growth with a PEG ratio of just 0.51.

It’s also trading with a dividend of about 8%, which is higher than its forward earnings ratio of 7.34. That’s now the highest yield among major drug stocks and is also one of the biggest existing yields on the S&P 500 index.

Plus, Pfizer recently offered assurance, reiterating its goal of growing its dividend and meeting its delivery targets by the end of 2025. All of which will provide more balanced capital allocation, as noted by Chief Financial Officer David Denton.

Enbridge 

With a yield of 6.15%, Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) holds the second-longest natural gas pipeline in the U.S., North America’s longest crude oil pipeline, and a high-growth, renewable power generation business.

Helping, analysts at Citi just initiated a buy rating on the ENB stock, which believes the company is well-positioned to benefit from global energy demands. In addition, as noted by Investing.com, “The firm’s analysts emphasized that Enbridge has consistently exceeded global energy demand growth by 400 basis points, a trend they anticipate will persist.”

Enbridge has also continued to pay out dividends for 53 consecutive years. It just paid out a dividend of $0.9425 on March 1. Its next payout should be in June.

Kinder Morgan 

With a yield of 4.34%, Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) is also an attractive opportunity.

For one, Kinder Morgan is the biggest natural gas pipeline operator with a 40% market share. Two, KMI could be a strong beneficiary of the artificial intelligence data center energy boom.

As reported by CNBC, “Natural gas is expected to supply 60% of the power demand growth from AI and data centers, while renewables will provide the remaining 40%, according to Goldman Sachs’ report published in April.”

Plus, Barclays just upgraded KMI to an overweight rating on natural gas tailwinds.

“We view KMI as poised to benefit from a constructive fundamental outlook for natural gas, with critical infrastructure assets largely backed by take-or-pay/fee-based contracts across multiple commodity value chains and regions,” Barclays said, as also quoted by Investing.com.

Verizon

With a yield of 6.2%, Verizon (NYSE:VZ) is another hot opportunity to consider buying.

For one, it’s oversold but attempting to pivot higher from support. Two, Verizon was just named a “top pick” by analysts at Evercore ISI with a $48 price target. The firm says the stock has outperformed the market meaningfully this year. It’s also optimistic about Verizon’s broadband strategy across fiber and fixed wireless.

Earnings have also been solid.

In its fourth quarter, the company’s EPS of $1.10 was in line with estimates.

Revenue of $35.7 billion, up 1.7% year over year, beat by $360 million. For 2025, the company sees total wireless service revenue growth of 2% to 2.8%, adjusted EBITDA growth of 2% to 3.5%, and adjusted EPS growth of 0% to 3%.

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