Here Are My Top 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy Now

From oil briefly crossing $100 a barrel to some of the largest swings in the major indexes in months, some investors may be feeling a bit queasy aboard the 2026 topsy-turvy stock market roller coaster. Generating passive income from stocks is a great way to offset some of the headaches that can come with market volatility.

Here are three high-yield dividend stocks for investors to build a passive income portfolio around in March.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Chevron

Chevron (CVX +0.00%) is hovering around an all-time high and knocking on the door of $200 a share. But it remains one of the best oil and gas stocks to buy.

Chevron checks all the boxes of an energy stock to build a portfolio around. It has 39 consecutive years of boosting its payout and a high yield of 3.8%. It has upside potential from higher oil prices but also protects against downside risk because it can fund its operations, capital expenditures, and dividend expenses below $50 per Brent crude oil barrel.

For context, Brent averaged $69.14 in 2025 and is just under $90 per barrel at the time of this writing.

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NYSE: CVX

Chevron

Today’s Change

(0.00%) $0.00

Current Price

$196.97

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$393B

Day’s Range

$194.71 - $197.62

52wk Range

$132.04 - $198.88

Volume

449K

Avg Vol

12M

Gross Margin

14.66%

Dividend Yield

3.51%

2. UPS

After a hot start to the year, United Parcel Service (UPS 0.63%) has sold off in recent weeks due to skyrocketing oil prices – which raise package delivery costs. UPS is up just over 2% in the last decade compared to a 242.5% gain in the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.61%). But UPS could soon turn a corner.

The company is undergoing a multiyear turnaround to improve its margins – including slashing its dependence on low-margin Amazon package deliveries. UPS is streamlining its supply chain and processing network, emphasizing higher-margin deliveries from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and temperature- and time-sensitive healthcare deliveries.

In its latest quarter, SMBs made up 31.2% of total U.S. volume – a fourth-quarter record. Healthcare portfolio revenue reached $11.2 billion or 12.6% of the total 2025 revenue.

With a 6.6% yield, UPS offers patient investors considerable passive income while they wait for its turnaround to play out.

3. General Mills

General Mills (GIS 0.05%) hit a 52-week low on March 10 and is now hovering around its lowest level in 13 years.

Results have gone from bad to worse, as General Mills slashed its full-year fiscal 2026 guidance amid weak consumer sentiment and higher costs.

It can be difficult to buy a stock when earnings are going down with no end in sight. But General Mills has the makings of a deep-value stock for long-term investors.

For starters, its brand portfolio is much better than other packaged food companies’ because it specializes in breakfast and has a nice balance between meals and snacks. From PepsiCo’s push toward mini meals to Coca-Cola Zero Sugar consistently outperforming Trademark Coca-Cola, many packaged food, beverage, and snack companies have noted changes in consumer preferences and are adapting to cater to health trends.

Despite a weak near-term outlook, analyst estimates have General Mills earning $3.51 in fiscal 2026 – way above its forward dividend of $2.44 per share. Investors can also rest easy knowing that General Mills has a 127-year streak of never cutting its dividend.

With a 5.6% yield, General Mills can provide a significant boost to a value investor’s passive income stream.