11 Best Stocks to Buy for Income

Published on October 30, 2023 at 6:19 am by Vardah Gill in Dividend Stocks, Hedge Funds, News

In this article, we discuss 11 best stocks to buy for income. You can skip our detailed analysis of income-generating stocks and the performance of dividend stocks over the years, and go directly to read 5 Best Stocks to Buy for Income.

Markets are wavering amid a mix of corporate earnings reports that didn’t meet expectations and worries about rising interest rates. Notably, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note briefly surpassed the 5% mark, a level not seen in 16 years, which further contributed to investor concerns. They are now looking more at assets that generate income due to the current uncertainty. A strong income-focused portfolio combines various income-generating assets like bonds, dividend stocks, and real estate. This mix helps lower risks and enhances the potential for steady, long-term returns.

Also read: 12 Best Dividend Stocks For Passive Income

Dividend stocks offer more than just income; they create a virtuous cycle of growth. Strong dividend growth is beneficial for investors in several ways. It can enhance returns and act as a shield against inflation by offering a steadily increasing income stream, much like an annual raise in your earnings. Additionally, dividend-growing stocks have the potential for price appreciation because they often reflect a company’s improving earnings and dividend payments over time. According to a report by T. Rowe Price, historically, large-cap dividend-growing stocks have shown resilience during market downturns, experienced smaller losses, and performed well when the market remained stable. In addition, they’ve managed to capture a significant portion of the market’s upswings during more favorable economic conditions. The report also mentioned that over the period from 1985 to 2022, companies that increased their dividends within the Russell 1000 Index outperformed the overall market index, and they did so with less volatility.

Lower volatility is one of the factors that attract investors to dividend stocks. The reduced price fluctuations in dividend stocks can provide a sense of stability and predictability in an investor’s portfolio, which is especially appealing to those who prioritize income generation and want to avoid significant market ups and downs. Wisdom Tree reported that over the past 64 years, dividend levels decreased in just six years, and only once did they drop by more than 5%. In contrast, stock prices experienced declines in 18 of those 64 years, with the worst yearly drop exceeding 40% and an average decline of over 11%. This data suggests that stock prices are significantly more volatile than the cash flows from dividends.

Some of the best stocks to buy for income include The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL), and PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) as these companies have been making regular dividend payments to shareholders for a long time and have also raised their payouts for decades. In this article, we will further discuss some other stocks for income.

Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

Our Methodology:

For this list, we scanned Insider Monkey’s database of Q2 2023 and picked dividend stocks with dividend yields of at least 4.5%, as of October 28. From this group, we chose dividend-paying companies that maintain consistent dividend track records, even with their higher-than-average yields. These stocks aim to offer reliable income to their shareholders. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds having stakes in them, as of the second quarter of 2023.

11. Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 43

Dividend Yield as of October 28: 9.97%

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) is an American multinational tobacco company. It primarily operates in the tobacco and related industries, with its core business focused on manufacturing and marketing tobacco products. In its recently announced third-quarter earnings, the company declared that it paid nearly $1.6 billion to shareholders through dividends, which makes it one of the best stocks for income.

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.98 per share, having raised it by 4.3% in August this year. This was the company’s 54th consecutive year of dividend growth. As of October 28, the stock has a dividend yield of 9.97%. In addition to MO, other dividend stocks to consider for income include The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL), and PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP).

At the end of Q2 2023, 43 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey owned stakes in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO), compared with 49 in the previous quarter. These stakes have a total value of over $446.2 million. With over 7.2 million shares, Harris Associates was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q2.

10. 3M Company (NYSE:MMM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 49

Dividend Yield as of October 28: 6.86%

3M Company (NYSE:MMM) is a Minnesota-based diversified multinational conglomerate that operates in various industries. The company is known for its innovation and the development of a wide range of products and solutions. It currently pays a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.86%, as of October 28. It is one of the best stocks for income on our list as the company has been growing its dividends for 65 consecutive years.

3M Company (NYSE:MMM) generated strong cash in the third quarter of 2023. Its operating cash flow for the quarter came in at roughly $2 billion and its free cash flow amounted to $1.9 billion. Not only this, the company also returned $828 million to shareholders in dividends.

As of the end of Q2 2023, 49 hedge funds owned stakes in 3M Company (NYSE:MMM) as per Insider Monkey’s database, down from 51 in the previous quarter. These stakes are collectively valued at over $726.7 million.

9. International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 51

Dividend Yield as of October 28: 4.66%

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) is a globally recognized multinational technology and IT company. The company was a part of 51 hedge fund portfolios at the end of Q2 2023, up from 49 in the previous quarter, Insider Monkey’s data indicated. The collective value of stakes owned by these hedge funds is nearly $814 million.

In the third quarter of 2023, International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) reported revenue of $14.8 billion, up 5% from the same period last year. During the quarter, it returned $1.5 billion to shareholders through dividends, which makes IBM one of the best stocks for income.

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)’s commitment to shareholders can be seen from the fact that the company has raised its payouts for 28 years in a row. The company’s quarterly dividend currently stands at $1.66 per share for a dividend yield of 4.66%, as recorded on October 28.

8. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 53

Dividend Yield as of October 28: 7.95%

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is a major American telecommunications company that provides a variety of communication and technology services. On September 7, the company declared a 1.9% hike in its quarterly dividend to $0.665 per share. This marked the company’s 17th consecutive year of dividend growth, which makes it one of the best stocks for income.

At the end of Q2 2023, 53 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database reported having stakes in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), compared with 59 in the previous quarter. The consolidated value of these stakes is roughly $829 million. Among these hedge funds, Diamond Hill Capital was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q2.

7. Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 54

Dividend Yield as of October 28: 5.94%

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) is a Connecticut-based tobacco company that sells its products in over 180 countries. In the third quarter of 2023, the company posted revenue of $9.14 billion, up 13.8% from the same period last year. For FY2023, it expects to generate approximately $10 billion in operating cash flow.

On September 13, Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, raising it by 2.4%. Through this increase, the company stretched its dividend growth streak to 15 years, which places it as one of the best stocks for income. The stock’s dividend yield on October 28 came in at 5.94%.

At the end of June 2023, 54 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey owned stakes in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM), compared with 55 in the previous quarter. The collective worth of these stakes is over $5 billion. With more than 15.7 million shares, Fundsmith LLP was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q2.

6. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 56

Dividend Yield as of October 28: 7.49%

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is next on our list of the best stocks for income. The diversified telecommunications and media company has been making regular dividend payments to shareholders since 1995. It currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.2775 per share for a dividend yield of 7.49%, as recorded on October 28.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) can be a reliable addition to income portfolios alongside some other stocks such as The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL), and PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP).

Insider Monkey’s database of Q2 2023 indicated that 56 hedge funds owned stakes in AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), compared with 58 in the previous quarter. These stakes are collectively valued at over $1.4 billion. D. E. Shaw, Cliff Asness, and John Petry were some of the company’s leading stakeholders in Q2.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Best Stocks to Buy for Income.

AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Published on June 23, 2025 at by Inan Dogan, PhD

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal!

AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous.

Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink.

Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking:

Where will all of that energy come from?

AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse.

Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning:

“The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.”

Elon Musk was even more blunt:

“AI will run out of electricity by next year.”

As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity.

And that’s where the real opportunity lies…

One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike.

As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity.

The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom

It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets, positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy.
It’s one of the only global companies capable of executing large-scale, complex EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) projects across oil, gas, renewable fuels, and industrial infrastructure.
It plays a pivotal role in U.S. LNG exportation—a sector about to explode under President Trump’s renewed “America First” energy doctrine.

Trump has made it clear: Europe and U.S. allies must buy American LNG.

And our company sits in the toll booth—collecting fees on every drop exported.

But that’s not all…

As Trump’s proposed tariffs push American manufacturers to bring their operations back home, this company will be first in line to rebuild, retrofit, and reengineer those facilities.

AI. Energy. Tariffs. Onshoring. This One Company Ties It All Together.

While the world is distracted by flashy AI tickers, a few smart investors are quietly scooping up shares of the one company powering it all from behind the scenes.

AI needs energy. Energy needs infrastructure.

And infrastructure needs a builder with experience, scale, and execution.

This company has its finger in every pie—and Wall Street is just starting to notice.

Wall Street is noticing this company also because it is quietly riding all of these tailwinds—without the sky-high valuation.

While most energy and utility firms are buried under mountains of debt and coughing up hefty interest payments just to appease bondholders…

This company is completely debt-free.

In fact, it’s sitting on a war chest of cash—equal to nearly one-third of its entire market cap.

It also owns a huge equity stake in another red-hot AI play, giving investors indirect exposure to multiple AI growth engines without paying a premium.

And here’s what the smart money has started whispering…

The Hedge Fund Secret That’s Starting to Leak Out

This stock is so off-the-radar, so absurdly undervalued, that some of the most secretive hedge fund managers in the world have begun pitching it at closed-door investment summits.

They’re sharing it quietly, away from the cameras, to rooms full of ultra-wealthy clients.

Why? Because excluding cash and investments, this company is trading at less than 7 times earnings.

And that’s for a business tied to:

The AI infrastructure supercycle
The onshoring boom driven by Trump-era tariffs
A surge in U.S. LNG exports
And a unique footprint in nuclear energy—the future of clean, reliable power

You simply won’t find another AI and energy stock this cheap… with this much upside.

This isn’t a hype stock. It’s not riding on hope.

It’s delivering real cash flows, owns critical infrastructure, and holds stakes in other major growth stories.

This is your chance to get in before the rockets take off!

Disruption is the New Name of the Game: Let’s face it, complacency breeds stagnation.

AI is the ultimate disruptor, and it’s shaking the foundations of traditional industries.

The companies that embrace AI will thrive, while the dinosaurs clinging to outdated methods will be left in the dust.

As an investor, you want to be on the side of the winners, and AI is the winning ticket.

The Talent Pool is Overflowing: The world’s brightest minds are flocking to AI.

From computer scientists to mathematicians, the next generation of innovators is pouring its energy into this field.

This influx of talent guarantees a constant stream of groundbreaking ideas and rapid advancements.

By investing in AI, you’re essentially backing the future.

The future is powered by artificial intelligence, and the time to invest is NOW.

Don’t be a spectator in this technological revolution.

Dive into the AI gold rush and watch your portfolio soar alongside the brightest minds of our generation.

This isn’t just about making money – it’s about being part of the future.

So, buckle up and get ready for the ride of your investment life!

Act Now and Unlock a Potential 100+% Return within 12 to 24 months.

We’re now offering month-to-month subscriptions with no commitments.

For a ridiculously low price of just $9.99 per month, you can unlock our in-depth investment research and exclusive insights – that’s less than a single fast food meal!

Here’s why this is a deal you can’t afford to pass up:

Access to our Detailed Report on our AI, Tariffs, and Nuclear Energy Stock with 100+% potential upside within 12 to 24 months
BONUS REPORT on our #1 AI-Robotics Stock with 10000% upside potential: Our in-depth report dives deep into our #1 AI/robotics stock’s groundbreaking technology and massive growth potential.
One New Issue of Our Premium Readership Newsletter: You will also receive one new issue per month and at least one new stock pick per month from our monthly newsletter’s portfolio over the next 12 months. These stocks are handpicked by our research director, Dr. Inan Dogan.
One free upcoming issue of our 70+ page Quarterly Newsletter: A value of $149
Bonus Content: Premium access to members-only fund manager video interviews
Ad-Free Browsing: Enjoy a month of investment research free from distracting banner and pop-up ads, allowing you to focus on uncovering the next big opportunity.
Lifetime Price Guarantee: Your renewal rate will always remain the same as long as your subscription is active.
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: If you’re not absolutely satisfied with our service, we’ll provide a full refund within 30 days, no questions asked.

Space is Limited! Only 1000 spots are available for this exclusive offer. Don’t let this chance slip away – subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter today and unlock the potential for a life-changing investment.

Here’s what to do next:

1. Head over to our website and subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter for just $9.99.

2. Enjoy a month of ad-free browsing, exclusive access to our in-depth report on the Trump tariff and nuclear energy company as well as the revolutionary AI-robotics company, and the upcoming issues of our Premium Readership Newsletter.

3. Sit back, relax, and know that you’re backed by our ironclad 30-day money-back guarantee.

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! Subscribe now and take control of your AI investment future!

Subscribe Now!

No worries about auto-renewals! Our 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee applies whether you’re joining us for the first time or renewing your subscription a month later!

Insider Monkey Ads

A New Dawn is Coming to U.S. Stocks

Published on June 13, 2025 at by Insider Monkey Staff

I work for one of the largest independent financial publishers in the world – representing over 1 million people in 148 countries.

We’re independently funding today’s broadcast to address something on the mind of every investor in America right now…

Should I put my money in Artificial Intelligence?

Here to answer that for us… and give away his No. 1 free AI recommendation… is 50-year Wall Street titan, Marc Chaikin.

Marc’s been a trader, stockbroker, and analyst. He was the head of the options department at a major brokerage firm and is a sought-after expert for CNBC, Fox Business, Barron’s, and Yahoo! Finance…

But what Marc’s most known for is his award-winning stock-rating system. Which determines whether a stock could shoot sky-high in the next three to six months… or come crashing down.

That’s why Marc’s work appears in every Bloomberg and Reuters terminal on the planet…

And is still used by hundreds of banks, hedge funds, and brokerages to track the billions of dollars flowing in and out of stocks each day.

He’s used this system to survive nine bear markets… create three new indices for the Nasdaq… and even predict the brutal bear market of 2022, 90 days in advance.

Click to continue reading…

Insider Monkey Ads

Markets

Insider Trading

Hedge Funds

Retirement

Opinion

Log In

Sign Up

11 Best Stocks to Buy for Income

Published on October 30, 2023 at 6:19 am by Vardah Gill in Dividend Stocks, Hedge Funds, News

11. Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

10. 3M Company (NYSE:MMM)

9. International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)

8. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)

7. Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

6. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T)

AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Published on June 23, 2025 at by Inan Dogan, PhD

Here’s why this is a deal you can’t afford to pass up:

A New Dawn is Coming to U.S. Stocks

Published on June 13, 2025 at by Insider Monkey Staff

Markets

Insider Trading

Hedge Funds

Retirement

Opinion

Premium

Log In

Sign Up

11 Best Stocks to Buy for Income

Published on October 30, 2023 at 6:19 am by Vardah Gill in Dividend Stocks, Hedge Funds, News

Share

11. Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

10. 3M Company (NYSE:MMM)

9. International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)

8. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)

7. Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

6. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T)

Share

AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Published on June 23, 2025 at by Inan Dogan, PhD

Here’s why this is a deal you can’t afford to pass up:

A New Dawn is Coming to U.S. Stocks

Published on June 13, 2025 at by Insider Monkey Staff