2024 was a great year for the stock market. The S&P 500 index climbed 23% for the year, driven by continued outperformance from large-cap growth stocks. But not every company participated in the ongoing market rally. Value stocks, in particular, lagged the rest of the market, and some have seen their prices drop to incredible bargains.

As the U.S. stock market experiences a notable upswing, with major indices like the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average posting their best weekly gains in months, investors are increasingly looking toward dividend stocks as a stable source of income amidst the volatility.

While most of Wall Street focuses on large and mega-cap stocks, as they provide a degree of safety and liquidity, many investors are limited in the number of shares they can buy. Many of the most significant public companies,

Johnson & Johnson is like the Fort Knox of dividend stocks. The healthcare company has an AAA bond rating. That's tied for the best in the world and is higher than the U.S. government. This rating signifies that the company has a strong capacity to meet its financial obligations even during the deepest economic downturns.

When seeking high-yield dividend stocks, one of the best places to look is in the midstream energy space. Many of these companies are structured as master limited partnerships (MLPs), which pass through their profits to their unitholders and as such don't pay corporate taxes.