To keep earning higher rates of income, investors can rotate some of their holdings out of fixed income and into high-quality dividend stocks. These 15 offer particularly compelling prospects for the rest of 2024 and beyond: Popular Brokers : Popular Brokers Toyota Motor is one of the world's dominant automakers.

Here's why all three dividend stocks are worth buying now. Image source: Getty Images. Lee Samaha (Emerson Electric): After adjusting for stock splits, Emerson Electric has increased its dividend every year since 1956, and its growth potential ensures plenty more to come.

With the Federal Reserve expected to enter a long-tailed rate-cutting cycle, dividend-paying stocks with yields above the 3% mark are under the spotlight. For instance, AT&T (NYSE: T), a longtime favorite among income investors, has seen its stock surge approximately 30% year to date, outpacing the benchmark S&P 500.

Here are four well-known companies that recently had hefty dividend yields. You might want to consider some for your portfolio or your watch list.

Although dividend stock investing is one of the surest ways for investors to dramatically increase their returns over time, dividend growth stocks are even better. Studies have repeatedly shown dividend stocks have outperformed non-paying stocks by a wide margin for nearly 100 years.

Realty Income ( O -0.30%) is a real estate investment trust, or REIT, that owns more than 15,000 freestanding properties, mostly occupied by retail tenants. If you've ever been in a Dollar General, Walgreens, or 7-Eleven, just to name a few examples, there's a solid chance you've set foot inside property owned by Realty Income.

The appeal of dividend stocks among the investing community has been consistent, and with good reason. Generally, dividend-paying companies have a consistent track record of growing profitability, steady management,