Major U.S. indexes, such as the Nasdaq Composite, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, have lost their ground by 14.3%, 8.3%, and 4.7%, respectively, year to date. From the beginning of 2025, volatility remains exceptionally high due to President Donald Trump's aggressive fiscal, trade and immigration policies. Reciprocal foreign tariff policy with major trading partners has stoked fears of rising inflation, sluggish economic growth, and a near-term recession among market participants.

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) index, rose 2.5% on a year-over-year basis in February, unchanged from January data. However, the core PCE inflation (excluding volatile items like food and energy) marked the biggest monthly gain of 0.4% in February since January 2024. Analysts expect short-term inflation to spike to 5% in March from 4.3% in February due to the aggressive shift in U.S. foreign policies. The personal income for the month of February posted a 0.8% rise, significantly higher than the consensus estimate of 0.4%. However, personal spending — the largest component of the U.S. GDP rose 0.4% in February, lower than the consensus estimate of 0.5%.

The Institute of Supply Management (ISM) reported a contraction in manufacturing PMI (purchasing managers’ index) for March. PMI came in at 49% compared with 50.3% in February. Any reading below 50% indicates a contraction in manufacturing activities. The labor market is slowing down due to strict immigration policies, widespread layoffs of federal workers, and reluctance by businesses to increase hiring amid the escalating global trade war. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the month of February marked the lowest level since September 2024. Job openings fell 194,000 to 7.568 million in February.

Amid such volatilemarket conditions, investors who wish to diversify their portfolios can pick dividend-paying stocks. Some of the prominent names are Bank OZK OZK, The TJX Companies TJX, Adecoagro AGRO,Salesforce CRM and BankUnited BKU. Companies that pay out dividends consistently indicate a healthy business model. Stocks that have raised dividends recently exhibit a sound financial structure and can counter market upheavals. Stocks that tend to reward investors with a high dividend payout outperform non-dividend-paying stocks in a highly volatile market.

Bank OZK

Bank OZK is a bank holding company which offers a wide range of retail and commercial banking services to businesses, individuals, and non-profit and governmental entities. This Little Rock, AZ-based company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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On April 1, OZK declared that its shareholders would receive a dividend of 43 cents a share on April 21, 2025. OZK has a dividend yield of 3.8%.

Over the past five years, OZK has increased its dividend 21 times, and its payout ratio presently sits at 27% of earnings. Check Bank OZK’s dividend history here.

Bank OZK Dividend Yield (TTM)Bank OZK Dividend Yield (TTM)

Bank OZK dividend-yield-ttm | Bank OZK Quote

The TJX Companies

The TJX Companies is headquartered in Framingham, MA. This Zacks Rank #3 company is a leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the United States and worldwide.

On March 31, TJX declared that its shareholders would receive a dividend of 43 cents a share on June 5, 2025. TJX has a dividend yield of 1.2%.

In the past five years, TJX has increased its dividend five times. Its payout ratio is currently 35% of earnings. Check The TJX Companies’ dividend history here.

The TJX Companies, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)The TJX Companies, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)

The TJX Companies, Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | The TJX Companies, Inc. Quote

Adecoagro

Adecoagrois an agricultural company engaged in farming crops and other agricultural products, cattle and dairy operations, sugar, ethanol and energy production and land transformation. The Zacks Rank #3 company is headquartered in Luxembourg.

On March 26, AGRO announced that its shareholders would receive a dividend of 18 cents a share on May 16, 2025. AGRO has a dividend yield of 3.1%.

Over the past five years, AGRO has increased its dividend six times. Its payout ratio now sits at 17% of earnings. Check Adecoagro's dividend history here.

Adecoagro S.A. Dividend Yield (TTM)Adecoagro S.A. Dividend Yield (TTM)

Adecoagro S.A. dividend-yield-ttm | Adecoagro S.A. Quote

Salesforce

Salesforce is the leading provider of on-demand Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. This San Francisco, CA-based company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

On March 27, CRM declared that its shareholders would receive a dividend of 42 cents a share on April 24, 2025. CRM has a dividend yield of 0.6%.

Over the past five years, CRM has increased its dividend once, and its payout ratio presently sits at 20% of earnings. Check Salesforce’s dividend history here.

Salesforce Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)Salesforce Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)

Salesforce Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | Salesforce Inc. Quote

BankUnited

BankUnited is a bank holding company that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is headquartered in Miami Lakes, FL.

On March 26, BKU announced that its shareholders would receive a dividend of 31 cents a share on April 30, 2025. BKU has a dividend yield of 3.4%.

Over the past five years, BKU has increased its dividend five times. Its payout ratio now sits at 38% of earnings. Check BankUnited's dividend history here.

BankUnited, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)BankUnited, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)

BankUnited, Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | BankUnited, Inc. Quote

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