Three dividend stocks recommended by top Wall Street analysts for long-term investment.

The fourth-quarter earnings season is in full swing, and it's time for companies that pay dividends to excel.

Top Wall Street pros suggest that resilient dividend-paying companies provide long-term growth potential and steady income. Investors should consider these insights when searching for dividend stocks with strong fundamentals.

According to TipRanks, Wall Street's top experts have identified three attractive dividend stocks.

Verizon Communications

VZ, a prominent telecom company, recently reported its fourth-quarter results and received positive feedback from investors due to the significant increase in wireless postpaid phone subscriber additions.

In 2023, Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.665 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $2.66 and a yield of 6.7%.

Ivan Feinseth, a Tigress Financial analyst, maintained a buy rating on Verizon's stock and raised the price target from $45 to $50 per share after analyzing the company's Q4 results. Feinseth noted that Verizon experienced strong subscriber and cash flow growth in 2023, with more acceleration anticipated this year.

Feinseth stated that the growth of 5G and fixed wireless broadband, as well as the expansion of services, will lead to increased operating efficiencies and higher margins, resulting in a reacceleration of cash flow growth and improved business performance trends.

The analyst believes that Verizon's strong financials allow it to continue investing in growth initiatives, including spectrum expansion, while also increasing dividends. He sees the company as a promising investment opportunity due to its high dividend yield and dominant market position, which positions it to capitalize on long-term telecom trends.

Feinseth is ranked No. 214 among over 8,700 analysts on TipRanks, with a profitable rating 61% of the time and an average return of 11.7% per rating. (Check out Verizon Hedge Fund Activity on TipRanks)

Enterprise Products Partners

This week's second dividend pick is (EPD), a master limited partnership that offers midstream energy services. In the previous month, the company declared a quarterly cash distribution of $0.515 per unit for the fourth quarter of 2023, to be paid on February 14th. This quarterly distribution represents a 5.1% year-over-year increase and reflects a yield of almost 8%.

Stifel analyst Selman Akyol reaffirmed a buy rating on EPD's stock and increased the price target to $36 per share from $35. The analyst stated that Q4 2023 results slightly surpassed his expectations. He also increased his 2024 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization estimate by more than 2%, mainly due to the company's natural gas liquids pipeline segment.

EPD's pipeline and export throughputs are expected to maintain momentum in the near term, according to Akyol. The analyst also noted that EPD has been increasing its distributions for 25 years. He anticipates that distributions will be the primary way of returning capital to unitholders, with buybacks being opportunistic.

Akyol stated that Enterprise has a robust financial profile in the midstream sector and can withstand economic fluctuations.

Among more than 8,700 analysts tracked by TipRanks, Akyol holds the 695th position. His ratings have been profitable 64% of the time, with each delivering an average return of 5%. (See EPD Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks)

MPLX LP

Another midstream energy player, MPLX, is our third dividend pick. Last month, the master limited partnership declared a quarterly distribution of 85 cents per common unit for the fourth quarter of 2023, payable on Feb. 14. MPLX provides a dividend yield of 9%.

RBC Capital analyst Elvira Scotto maintained a buy rating on MPLX stock and raised the price target to $46 per share from $45, citing the company's Q4 2023 adjusted EBITDA exceeding consensus expectations by 4%. The analyst attributed this to increased product volumes, higher pipeline rates in the logistics and storage segment, and higher processing volumes in the gathering and processing unit.

Scotto believes that MPLX is still one of the most appealing income-generating opportunities in the large-cap MLP sector, with an expected cash distribution of $3.57 per unit in 2024 and $3.84 per unit in 2025, an increase from $3.40 in 2023.

By increasing cash flow generation and reducing leverage, investors can achieve higher returns over time.

Among more than 8,700 analysts tracked by TipRanks, Scotto ranks No. 83. Her ratings have been profitable 64% of the time, with each delivering an average return of 17.8%. (See MPLX Technical Analysis on TipRanks)