The Smartest Dividend Stocks to Buy With $2,000 Right Now

By Keith Speights – Mar 20, 2026 at 4:44AM ESTKey PointsAbbVie is a Dividend King poised to deliver solid growth.Chevron is well-positioned to capitalize on the new opportunities in Venezuela.Enbridge offers stability and an especially juicy dividend yield.This year is turning out to be a chaotic one so far. The U.S. has caused a leadership change in Venezuela. Iran is blockading (at least partially) the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices are soaring. Uncertainty reigns over the stock market. Such an environment is one where dividend stocks become increasingly attractive to many investors. Here are my picks for the smartest dividend stocks to buy with $2,000 right now. Image source: Getty Images. 1. AbbVie AbbVie (ABBV 1.01%) markets blockbuster drugs for autoimmune diseases, cancer, and neuroscience, among others. Do you think physicians will stop prescribing these therapies, and that patients will stop taking them, because of global uncertainty? Me either. Sure, AbbVie's share price can sometimes decline due to overall market volatility. However, the drugmaker's business is rock-solid. The reality is that AbbVie has already successfully faced the biggest challenge in its history. I'm referring to the patent cliff with the loss of patent exclusivity for its longtime best-selling product, Humira. Today, though, AbbVie is poised to deliver strong growth for years to come. ExpandNYSE: ABBVAbbVieToday's Change(-1.01%) $-2.11Current Price$206.23Key Data PointsMarket Cap$365BDay's Range$204.30 - $210.4352wk Range$164.39 - $244.81Volume56Avg Vol6.6MGross Margin70.12%Dividend Yield3.22% Autoimmune disease therapies Rinvoq and Skyrizi have taken the torch from Humira and run with it. These two drugs are already raking in annual sales higher than Humira's at its peak. AbbVie also has other rising stars, along with a promising pipeline, with around 60 programs in mid- and late-stage clinical testing. The company is a member of the Dividend Kings, an elite group of stocks that have increased their dividends for at least 50 consecutive years. Income investors should also like AbbVie's forward dividend yield of 3.3%. 2. Chevron It's not surprising that energy stocks are performing exceptionally well with surging oil prices. Some, though, are better positioned for continued success beyond the current crisis than others. I think Chevron (CVX +1.39%) will be among the long-term winners. Chevron ranks among the largest fully integrated oil and gas companies. Its upstream business generates the highest margins in the industry. It produces more natural gas than any rival. The company also has strong downstream operations and is investing in renewable energy and carbon capture technologies. ExpandNYSE: CVXChevronToday's Change(1.39%) $2.76Current Price$201.37Key Data PointsMarket Cap$402BDay's Range$199.03 - $202.4452wk Range$132.04 - $202.44Volume678KAvg Vol12MGross Margin14.66%Dividend Yield3.43% Even before the Iran crisis and the U.S. intervention in Venezuela, Chevron forecast averaged annual adjusted free cash flow and earnings-per-share growth of over 10%. Its long history in Venezuela could pave the way for increased production in the country, boosting its growth prospects. Chevron has increased its payout for 39 consecutive years. Its forward dividend yield is roughly 3.6%. The company could still cover the dividend and fully fund all of its capital investments if the price of oil fell from its current level of over $100 per barrel to below $50 per barrel. 3. Enbridge Enbridge (ENB +1.56%) is also an energy stock, but its business model is much different than Chevron's. The company operates the world's longest crude oil pipeline network. It transports 30% of the crude oil produced in North America. Enbridge's natural gas pipelines transport roughly one-fifth of the natural gas consumed in the U.S. Midstream energy companies are largely insulated from oil and gas price volatility. Enbridge offers even greater stability than most midstream companies because it's also the largest natural gas utility in North America by volume, serving around 7.1 million customers. ExpandNYSE: ENBEnbridgeToday's Change(1.56%) $0.83Current Price$54.07Key Data PointsMarket Cap$118BDay's Range$53.21 - $54.1852wk Range$39.73 - $54.70Volume4.5MAvg Vol5MGross Margin32.74%Dividend Yield5.06% This isn't just a defensive stock, though. Enbridge has identified roughly $50 billion of growth opportunities through 2030. It's evaluating near-term growth opportunities of more than $26 billion. The rapid build-out of data centers to host artificial intelligence (AI) applications is one key growth driver for the company. Enbridge offers an especially juicy dividend yield of 5.3%. Even better, the company has increased its dividend for 31 consecutive years. I don't expect this impressive streak to be broken anytime soon. Read NextMar 19, 2026 •By Reuben Gregg Brewer2 Oil Stocks to Buy Now and Hold For DecadesMar 17, 2026 •By David Jagielski, CPAThis Rock-Solid Dividend Stock Yields More Than 5% and Is Known for Its StabilityMar 12, 2026 •By Jack DelaneyShould You Buy Enbridge While It's Below $60?Feb 25, 2026 •By Catie Hogan4 Dividend Stocks to Double Up On Right NowFeb 22, 2026 •By Matt DiLalloThis Elite 5.5%-Yielding Dividend Stock Continues to Fill Up Its Growth EngineFeb 21, 2026 •By Matt DiLallo3 High-Yield Pipeline Stocks to Buy Now and Hold ForeverAbout the AuthorKeith Speights is a contributing Motley Fool healthcare analyst covering publicly traded companies across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, technology, and marijuana. Prior to The Motley Fool, Keith was CEO of Constant Care Technology, a healthcare technology company; vice president of American HealthTech, a healthcare software company; and a director of operations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, a health insurer. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University.TMFFishBizStocks MentionedEnbridgeNYSE: ENB$54.07(+1.56%)+$0.83ChevronNYSE: CVX$201.37(+1.39%)+$2.76AbbVieNYSE: ABBV$206.35(-0.95%)-$1.99*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.