The stock market has offered investors a swing between profits and losses over the past several weeks. Expectations of increased volatility are very high, as we can see recently Peak in VIX – And when this volatility index increases, it also suggests that investors are becoming more fearful.
Concerns emerged late last year over the high valuations of artificial intelligence (AI) stocks and other growth players. And this year, concerns about the economy and the war in Iran added to the uncertainty. All this has affected investors’ minds and appetite for stocks. S&P 500 The first quarter ended with a decline of 4.6%.
But even in this volatile market, you can continue to make wise investments. Let’s look at the smartest dividend stocks to buy with $120.
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Good time to buy dividend stocks
First, a quick note about why now is a great time to join dividend stock. These players are great because they can help keep your portfolio safe in times of uncertainty. In many cases, they operate in industries that generate steady revenue growth – and dividends themselves provide you with a guaranteed stream of passive income, no matter what the overall market is doing.
The following dividend player has struggled in recent years, but it has reached a turning point in the past year – and investors have already started to reward its efforts as it has climbed nearly 20% so far this year. The stock I am talking about is Target (TGT +0.00%).

today’s change
(0.00%) $0.00
current price
$120.45
key data points
market cap
$55B
day limit
$119.15 -$121.51
52wk range
$83.44 -$126.00
volume
5.3M
average volume
6.4M
gross margin
25.44%
dividend yield
3.77%
Target saw revenue surge in the early pandemic days, thanks to its assortment of essentials, the strength of e-commerce and solid delivery and pickup options. But it has lost momentum in recent years. Target took steps last year to gain efficiencies, and this year, new Chief Executive Officer Michael Fidelke laid out a full strategic growth plan — efforts that include redesigning floor plans and displays, boosting employee training and strengthening merchandise assortments.
a fair assessment
As this plan starts to deliver results, the stock could continue to move higher, especially given that it trades at a reasonable level today – just under 15 times forward earnings estimates.
there is a target on it a dividend kingWhich means it has raised its dividend for more than 50 consecutive years. This shows that rewarding shareholders is a priority, so there’s reason to be optimistic that the company will continue down this path. Target pays a dividend of $4.56 on a yield of 3.8%, which is higher than the S&P 500’s 1.2% yield.
Right now, given the strength of this dividend and the potential of Target’s recovery story, it is wise to buy this retail stock in a volatile market and hold for the long term.
