We’re officially in the holiday shopping season, and that makes it a good time to bolster your investment portfolio’s income stream. There are plenty of strategies to maximize your investment income, and one of the most popular approaches is dividend investing.
Dividend stocks are usually viewed as a defensive choice, but they can also provide significant benefits in a bull market. The most obvious is the dividend itself – a steady cash payment that contributes directly to total return. And because dividends are paid in cash, they offer flexibility: They can cover current expenses or be reinvested to buy additional shares, paving the way for higher income over time.
The best dividend stocks will have two attributes: a high yield and a reliable payout history. Together, these attributes enhance dividend value and ensure you can plan. Added to the stock’s strong fundamentals, it all adds up to a solid portfolio.
With that in mind, we’ve used the TipRanks database to search for a few dividend payers that offer payout yields of 7% or more — and that analysts at The Street suggest are worth buying. Let’s take a closer look at these dividend champions.
MPLX LP(MPLX)
First, MPLX, a master limited liability company that was formed by Marathon Petroleum to own and operate a network of midstream and logistics assets in the energy industry. In addition, MPLX also provides fuel distribution services. MPLX is a large-cap operator with a market capitalization valuation of $55 billion and annual revenues of nearly $12 billion.
This midstream company’s network of assets spans large areas of the lower 48 states and includes natural gas gathering and processing facilities, light and heavy petroleum product terminals, marine transportation and terminal facilities, inland river transportation, aboveground and underground storage facilities, and the pipelines needed to connect them all together.
In a major announcement earlier this month, MPLX went public with its letter of intent with Florida-based digital asset and cryptominer MARA Holdings. The letter outlines an initiative in which MPLX will support the supply of natural gas to planned integrated power generation facilities and state-of-the-art data center campuses in West Texas. MPLX will supply the gas directly from its processing plants in the rich Delaware Basin, ensuring a steady supply of fuel to power MARA’s operations – and a source of electricity for MPLX. The planned collaboration is still under negotiation.
Meanwhile, at the end of October, the company declared its quarterly dividend and implemented a 12.5% payout increase. The new dividend, of $1.0765 per common share, was paid on November 14. The annual dividend payment of $4.30 per common share provides a forward yield of 7.85%.
In its 3Q25 earnings report, MPLX reported a top line of $3.62 billion, up 22% year-over-year. The company’s revenue in the quarter beat forecasts by $460.3 million. At the end, MPLX’s EPS came in at $1.52, ahead of the consensus estimate of $0.44 and more than enough to fully cover the dividend payout. The company reported distributable cash flow in the quarter of $1.5 billion, which allowed $1.1 billion of capital to be returned to shareholders.
RBC’s Elvira Scotto, a top 4% Wall Street analyst and energy industry expert, likes the stock — especially its potential to continue delivering dividend increases. The 5-star analyst writes of this midstream leader: “We believe MPLX has good growth visibility through 2026 and beyond, given project timelines that can largely drive the single-digit annual EBITDA growth target and support incremental distribution increases. We continue to view MPLX as one of the most compelling income plays among large-cap MLPs with growth plans of ~8% more attractive.
Scotto rates his position on MPLX with an Outperform (Buy) rating and a $60 price target that suggests a one-year stock appreciation of nearly 9%. Add in the dividend yield, and this stock’s total one-year return could top 16%. (To follow Scotto’s history, click here)
Overall, there are 8 recent reviews recorded for MPLX, and the breakdown of 5 Buys into 3 Holds gives a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The stock is priced at $55.85, and the average price target of $58.88 implies it will gain 7% over the next year. (See MPLX Stock Forecast)
Dorian(LPG)
For the second stock on our list, we’ll stick with the energy industry – but look at a different side of it. Dorian LPG is a major player on ocean trade routes and a leading owner-operator of VLGCs or Very Large Gas Carriers. These are the largest ocean-going carriers for liquefied petroleum gas, an increasingly important fuel in the global economy.
Dorian has been working in the ocean LPG shipping industry since 2013 and today owns and operates a fleet of 25 vessels, of which 21 are owned and 4 are chartered. Most of the company’s fleet was built and launched in the 2010s – although the oldest vessel dates back to 2007 – but is less than five years old. All vessels can carry between 80,000 and 90,000 cubic meters of gas. Most of Dorian’s ships are Bahamian-flagged, although several fly the Panama, Liberia or Madeira flags. Multiplicity of flags is common in global maritime business, as is maintaining offices in different places – Dorian has offices in Connecticut, Copenhagen and Athens.
At the end of the company’s most recent reported quarter, fiscal 2016, Dorian had cash and other liquid assets totaling $268.3 million. The company’s equivalent charter rate per available day – a vital metric for a shipping company – reached $53,725 across the fleet. Dorian generated revenue of $124.1 million for the fiscal second quarter and achieved adjusted net income of $55.8 million, for non-GAAP EPS of $1.31. We should note that while revenue grew 50% year-over-year, the company missed expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue missed $7.1 million and non-GAAP EPS missed 19 cents per share.
Along with its earnings, Dorian announced an irregular cash dividend payment of 65 cents per common share, due on December 2. The payout marks a 5 cent increase over the last dividend declared. The new dividend provides an annual rate of $2.60 per common share and a forward yield of 10.5%.
This action caught the attention of another 5-star analyst, Omar Nokta of Jefferies. Nokta begins by noting that Dorian missed estimates in its fiscal second quarter report, but also notes that the results were strong in their own right. Nokta, also ranked in the top 4% of equity experts on the Street, is bullish on LPG stock and writes of the company: “Dorian’s fiscal 2Q26 earnings missed expectations due to a lower-than-modeled VLGC rate. The results were quite strong, however, and the highest in five quarters, driven by the strong base rate, which continued to capture VLGC’s current position. Stronger rates of VLGC, given its large spot exposure We have a favorable outlook for the sector, supported by moderate newbuild deliveries and likely strong growth in US exports in the coming quarters.
Expert Jefferies gives this stock a buy rating with a $35 price target indicating room for a 42% upside potential over the next 12 months. This return can increase to more than 52% when the dividend yield is added. (To track Nokta history, click here)
There are only two recent reviews recorded here, evenly split between Buy and Hold for a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The stock is trading at $24.64, and the average price target of $32.5 implies it will appreciate 32% over the next year. (See LPG stock forecast)
To find good ideas for trading stocks at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’s Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that aggregates all of TipRanks stock information.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
