5 Dividend Stocks to Buy for Quality and Safety

Geopolitical tensions, rising interest rates, and rich asset valuations are only some of the factors holding back American stocks this year. Trying to game this kind of market is a fool's errand - no one can accurately forecast the market's short-term performance with any consistency.

But identifying dividend stocks to buy that have safe and growing payouts can lead to steadier returns during volatile and calm times alike. In fact, dividends have made up about 40% of total returns for U.S. stocks since 1970, per data from JPMorgan.

Today's list of five high-quality dividend stocks not only offer safe payouts, but possess defensive characteristics that are likely to help investors preserve capital during the next downturn. These businesses all have excellent Dividend Safety Scores - to help investors avoid