Everyone knows that dividend stocks pack a one-two punch of security and profit opportunity. As a holder of dividend stocks, you receive a steady stream of income from your investment. The cash payments these companies provide give investors the confidence they need to keep buying pressure behind the stock and keep volatility low. Of course, the end of 2013 has made things a little more complicated for yield seekers. I say that because dividend stocks have gotten more volatile as bond yields have risen. In a different market environment, I’d usually have no problem recommending dividend stocks that are ripe for the picking.

However, right now I’m being especially picky with my high-yield picks due to the uncertainty surrounding when the Fed will end Quantitative Easing. I’m at the ready looking for more high-yield opportunities and advise you do the same. To get you started, I’ve crunched the numbers and have come up with the Top Five dividend stocks fresh out of Portfolio Grader: Clorox (CLX) 3.0%, Kimberly-Clark (KMB) 3.1%, Lockheed Martin (LMT) 3.8%, Micrososft (MSFT) 2.9% and Waste Management (WM) 3.3%.

Source: InvestorPlace

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