The Smartest Dividend Stocks to Buy With $2,000 Right Now

Key Points

• Enbridge is a Dividend Champion with an exceptionally stable business model.

• Realty Income pays its dividends monthly and has tremendous growth prospects in Europe.

• Verizon offers an especially juicy dividend yield and is poised for near-term growth thanks to a key acquisition.

• 10 stocks we like better than Enbridge ›

You could do a lot of things with $2,000. Spend it. Bury it in jars in your yard. Buy lottery tickets. However, I think a smarter approach is to use the money to buy stocks that pay attractive dividends.

The obvious question that arises is: Which dividend stocks should you buy? There are thousands of alternatives, some of them good and some not so good. Here are my picks for the smartest dividend stocks to buy with $2,000 right now.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

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1. Enbridge

Enbridge (NYSE: ENB) is a Dividend Champion with 30 consecutive years of dividend increases. Its forward dividend yield currently stands at 5.63%. The company should be able to continue increasing its dividend, with expected distributable cash flow (DCF) of around 3% through next year, which should jump to 5% after 2026.

A strong underlying business supports those dividend payouts. Roughly 30% of the crude oil produced in North America and 20% of natural gas consumed in the U.S. flow through Enbridge's pipelines. The company ranks as the largest natural gas utility in North America based on volume. And it has expanded beyond fossil fuels, with over $8 billion committed to renewable energy projects that are either currently in operation or under construction.

The stability of Enbridge's relatively low-risk business model should be especially appealing now, considering the uncertainty surrounding a potential U.S. government shutdown, tariffs, and weak jobs reports. I like that the company has been able to consistently deliver solid earnings per share and DCF per share during turbulent times, including the financial crisis of 2007 through 2009 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Enbridge isn't just a dividend stock to buy as a defensive move. The energy infrastructure leader has around $50 billion of growth opportunities through 2030, with nearly half of the total related to expanding its gas transmission business.

2. Realty Income

Realty Income's (NYSE: O) track record of 30 consecutive years of dividend increases matches Enbridge's. Its forward dividend yield of 5.43% is nearly as high as Enbridge's. Realty Income offers one nice advantage compared to the energy company, though: It pays a monthly rather than quarterly dividend.

This real estate investment trust (REIT) owns over 15,600 properties. Its tenant base represents 91 industries, including convenience, grocery, and home improvement stores, as well as restaurants. None of Realty Income's tenants generate more than 3.5% of its total annualized contractual rent.

Realty Income shares another similarity with Enbridge: remarkably stable cash flows. The REIT has generated positive cash flow in every year since 2004 except for 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy. Even then, though, its total operational return remained positive.

What about growth? Realty Income checks off that box, too. It's targeting a total addressable market of roughly $14 trillion. Around 60% of that market is in Europe, where the REIT faces only one major rival.

3. Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) has increased its dividend for 19 consecutive years. While that isn't as impressive as Enbridge's and Realty Income's streaks of dividend hikes, Verizon beats them in another way, with its ultra-high dividend yield of 6.35%.

I think Verizon's dividend program is on solid footing. The telecommunications giant recently increased its free cash flow guidance for 2025 to a range of $19.5 billion to $20.5 billion, up from its previous forecast of $17.5 billion to $18.5 billion. Over the last 12 months, Verizon has paid out dividends of $11.4 billion. This reflects plenty of free cash flow cushion to continue growing the dividend.

Although the telecom market is highly competitive, Verizon more than holds its own. The company generated the highest wireless services revenue in the industry in the second quarter of 2025. Its broadband market share continued to grow. Verizon was also recently recognized by J.D. Power as having the best wireless network quality for the 35th time.

The company's pending acquisition of Frontier Communications should boost growth over the near term, with the transaction expected to close in early 2026. Verizon could have strong long-term growth prospects as well as a 6G wireless networks launch in a few years.

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Keith Speights has positions in Enbridge, Realty Income, and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Enbridge and Realty Income. The Motley Fool recommends Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.