Grab 3 Stocks That Announced Dividend Hikes Amid Market Volatility

Wall Street has remained volatile for most of 2026, with major indexes giving up their earlier gains. High prices, a shrinking labor market and a lack of clarity over the Federal Reserve’s future monetary policy have raised concerns among investors.

Also, inflation remains far from the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. Geopolitical tensions have been adding to the ongoing volatility. Given the uncertainty, cautious investors looking for steady income and ways to protect their capital may consider holding or investing in dividend-paying stocks.

Such stocks provide steady earnings through regular dividend payouts and can help mitigate the effects of market volatility. Three such stocks are: HSBC Holdings plc HSBC, Stantec Inc. STN and Salesforce, Inc. CRM.

Markets Volatile on Economic Uncertainty

Tech stocks, which have been driving the market rally over the past few years, have been taking a major hit this year. Investors have lately been concerned about the long-term risks of AI disrupting established business models.

Major tech giants have been making massive investments in AI. However, investors have been grappling with fears that AI may be just another bubble and have raised questions about its long-term profitability. These fears have seen them move out of riskier assets to safe-haven stocks.

Despite easing, inflation remains high. A shrinking labor market has raised concerns about the economy’s health. The Federal Reserve has halted its rate-cut cycle this year after slashing interest rates three times by 75 basis points in 2025.

Moreover, the central bank has signaled a single 25-basis-point rate cut. Investors are hopeful that the Fed will go for more rate cuts as and when inflation eases, but the central bank hasn’t given a clear picture on the timing of the rate cut.

Geopolitical tensions have also been a cause of concern, with the relationship souring further between Iran and the United States. The ongoing uncertainties could keep markets volatile for a longer period.

3 Stocks That Recently Announced Dividend Hikes

HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc is a major global banking and financial services firm with $3.23 trillion in assets as of Sept. 30, 2025. Operating through a global network of various offices in nearly 60 countries and regions in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and North and Latin America, HSBC provides a wide range of financial services. HSBC Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

On Feb. 25, HSBC Holdingsannounced that its shareholders would receive a dividend of $2.25 a share on April 30. HSBC has a dividend yield of 2.10%. Over the past five years, HSBC Holdingshas increased its dividend six times, and its payout ratio presently sits at 28% of earnings. Check HSBC Holdings’ dividend history here.

Stantec

Stantec Inc. provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying and geomatics. STN also provides professional consulting services in environmental sciences, project management, and project economics for infrastructure and facilities projects. Stantec carries a Zacks Rank #2.

On Feb. 25, Stantecdeclared that its shareholders would receive a dividend of $0.25 a share on April 15. STN has a dividend yield of 0.73%. Over the past five years, Stantechas increased its dividend 13 times, and its payout ratio presently sits at 18% of earnings. Check Stantec’s dividend history here.

Salesforce

Salesforce, Inc. is the leading provider of on-demand Customer Relationship Management (“CRM”) software, which enables organizations to better manage critical operations, such as sales force automation, customer service and support, marketing automation, document management, analytics and custom application development. CRM carries a Zacks Rank #2.

On Feb. 23, Salesforceannounced that its shareholders would receive a dividend of $0.44 a share on April 23. CRM has a dividend yield of 0.87%. Over the past five years, Salesforcehas increased its dividend twice, and its payout ratio presently sits at 18% of earnings. Check Salesforce’s dividend history here.

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