In this article, we will take a look at the Dividend Stock Portfolio for Income: 5 Stocks to Invest In. For deeper analysis and discussion, have a look at the Dividend Stock Portfolio for Income: 15 Stocks to Invest In.
5. U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB)
Dividend Yield as of March 26: 4.03%
On March 26, Truist Financial lowered its price recommendation on U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) to $63 from $66. It reiterated a Buy rating on the shares. The update came as part of a broader note on regional and universal banks. The analyst said sentiment around bank stocks has been weighed down by several factors, including war, interest rates, stagflation, AI displacement, and private credit. Even with those concerns, recent updates for the quarter have been relatively positive. The tone from management teams has also been constructive when looking at the full year ahead.
Also on March 26, the company announced that Toby Clements will take on the role of senior executive vice president and chief operations officer. In this position, he will oversee client service centers and global operations, leading a team of more than 16,000 employees. He will report directly to CEO Gunjan Kedia, with the change effective April 13.
Clements will join the company’s managing committee and replace Souheil Badran, who announced earlier this year that he plans to retire.
U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) operates as a financial services holding company. Its business spans wealth management, corporate, commercial and institutional banking, consumer and business banking, payment services, and treasury and corporate support.
4. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)
Dividend Yield as of March 26: 5.55%
On March 25, Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng raised the price recommendation on Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) to $55 from $50. It reiterated a Buy rating on the shares. The analyst said Q1 will introduce new segment reporting. Verizon is changing how it presents subscriber data, shifting the focus toward broader metrics like EBITDA, free cash flow, and customer accounts, as postpaid phone growth slows. He added that industry trends for postpaid net additions are expected to remain stable. At the same time, postpaid ARPUs are likely to face pressure from competitive pricing, back-book adjustments, and targeted discounts.
On March 20, Citigroup analyst Michael Rollins also raised the firm’s price goal on Verizon to $55 from $50 and maintained a Buy rating. The firm pointed to “positive optionality” tied to Verizon’s efforts to streamline costs and expand its converged services. It also said the company has a path to returning to annual service revenue growth by 2027, along with improvements in EBITDA and free cash flow.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) operates as a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, it provides communications, technology, information, and streaming services to consumers, businesses, and government customers.
3. Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD)
Dividend Yield as of March 26: 5.60%
On March 25, Wells Fargo upgraded Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) to Overweight from Equal Weight. It raised the stock’s price target to $42 from $40. The firm said the Iran war is expected to create a “structural shift” in global energy markets, including midstream. The analyst told investors that this could drive higher demand for U.S. energy. Wells Fargo also expects Permian gas and natural gas liquids supply to increase to meet that demand. Based on this view, the firm upgraded three midstream names.
A day earlier, on March 24, Truist Financial initiated coverage on Enterprise Products with a Hold rating and a $36 price target. The firm described the company as a large, well-established midstream MLP with operations spanning liquids and gas from the wellhead to the water. It also noted that Enterprise is “maintaining a strong balance sheet and well-covered distribution.”
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) is one of the largest publicly traded partnerships and a leading North American provider of midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, refined products, and petrochemicals.
2. CubeSmart (NYSE:CUBE)
Dividend Yield as of March 26: 5.74%
On March 26, Truist Financial trimmed its price recommendation on CubeSmart (NYSE:CUBE) to $41 from $42. It kept a Buy rating on the shares. The update came alongside a broader reset of REIT models after Q4. The firm adjusted its assumptions around revenue growth and expenses, based on what it’s seeing now.
On the earnings call, CFO Timothy Martin said 2026 FFO per share is expected to land between $2.52 and $2.60. He pointed out that the midpoint assumes a backdrop that looks a lot like last year. There is still pressure from new supply in several markets. Pricing is expected to improve, but gradually. Occupancy should tighten as the year goes on. He also mentioned that fewer stores will be exposed to new supply, dropping from 24% in 2025 to 19% in 2026. On the cost side, the company is staying disciplined. Even so, some expenses are moving up. Real estate taxes, staffing costs, and higher winter-related expenses early in the year are expected to weigh on results.
CubeSmart (NYSE:CUBE) operates as a self-managed real estate investment trust. Its properties focus on climate-controlled storage, serving both households and businesses.
1. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)
Dividend Yield as of March 26: 6.22%
On March 24, Guggenheim Partners raised its price recommendation on Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) to $36 from $35. It reiterated a Buy rating on the shares. The analyst pointed to upcoming data from the MEVPRO-1 Phase 3 trial of mevrometostat in second-line and later mCRPC, expected in the second half of 2026. Based on that setup, the firm sees about $2 per share upside if the trial succeeds, compared with roughly $1 downside if it does not.
On March 23, Reuters reported that Pfizer and Valneva said their Lyme disease vaccine showed more than 70% efficacy in a late-stage study, even though it missed its main goal. Pfizer said the overall results still support confidence in the vaccine and confirmed plans to move forward with regulatory submissions. The vaccine showed 73.2% efficacy starting 28 days after the fourth dose in reducing confirmed Lyme disease cases compared to placebo.
The companies explained that the trial was designed to demonstrate a confidence interval of at least 20%. In the first analysis, that figure came in at 15.8%, mainly because fewer Lyme cases than expected occurred during the study, which limited the dataset. A second planned analysis, measured one day after the fourth dose instead of 28 days later, met the required threshold, according to the companies.
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) is a research-driven global biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing, and distributing medicines worldwide.
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