5 Goldman Sachs Top Picks for May Are Safe, Pay Dividends With Double-Digit Upside

Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is the world’s second-largest investment bank by revenue and is ranked 82nd on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue. The Wall Street white-glove firm offers financing, advisory services, risk distribution, and hedging for the firm’s institutional and corporate clients. In addition, they produce some of Wall Street’s most coveted research and serve as a bellwether for the financial industry. Goldman Sachs maintains its status as Wall Street’s premier firm through its undisputed leadership across virtually every major category. Over the 15 years we have covered the firm, it has remained the go-to Wall Street bank for almost every financial need.

Quick Read

• The Conviction List contains the top picks that Goldman Sachs presents to the institutional and high-net-worth client base.

• With the stock market overbought and dangerously overvalued, these Conviction List dividend picks make sense now.

• Investors may want to be cautious when buying stocks now and consider partial positions or scale into buying, given current market valuations.

• The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 stocks and Brixmor Property Group wasn’t one of them. Get them here FREE.

The Goldman Sachs Conviction List is a curated list of stocks that the firm’s research team believes are highly likely to outperform the market. It’s a tool for investors to identify stocks with strong growth potential and is frequently updated to reflect changes in market conditions and company performance. The list aims to identify stocks where Goldman Sachs analysts have the “highest level of conviction” in their outperformance.

The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 stocks and Brixmor Property Group wasn’t one of them. Get them here FREE.

With the stock market once again posting new all-time highs despite a very dicey geopolitical state around the world, inflation on the rise, and the potential for no interest rate cuts until 2027, it makes sense to follow the safest Goldman Sachs Conviction List ideas from the May list. Five top companies are standouts in their sectors, pay reliable dividends, and have double-digit upside to the Goldman Sachs targets.

Why we recommend Goldman Sachs stocks

Goldman Sachs Research ranks among the best for its unmatched breadth—covering over 3,000 securities, 45+ economies, and all major markets—and rigorous, data-driven analysis. The team delivers thousands of proprietary forecasts, models, and unique indicators, backed by top-tier global analysts and innovative thought leadership on macro, industries, and trends, earning consistent recognition as a trusted resource for institutional and high-net-worth investors.

Brixmor Property

This quality real estate investment trust (REIT) offers steady, reliable income, a portfolio of outstanding properties, and a rich 3.95% dividend. Brixmor Property Group (NYSE: BRX) is an internally managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The company conducts its operations primarily through Brixmor Operating Partnership and subsidiaries.

The company owns and operates open-air retail portfolios by gross leasable area (GLA) in the United States, comprised primarily of community and neighborhood shopping centers. The company’s portfolio consists of approximately 360 retail centers totaling over 64 million square feet of GLA.

Brixmor Property’s projects include:

• Dickson City Crossings

• East Port Plaza

• Fox Run

• Gateway Plaza

• Old Bridge Gateway

• Pointe Orlando

• Shops at Palm Lakes

• Stewart Plaza

• Tinley Park Plaza

• Tyrone Gardens

• Vail Ranch Center

• Venice Village

• Village at Mira Mesa

• Westminster City Center

The company’s national portfolio is primarily located within established trade areas in the top 50 Core-Based Statistical Areas in the United States.

Goldman Sachs has a $35 target price for the stock, representing 16% upside.

Duke Energy

This American electric power and natural gas holding company is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is located in a growing part of the country and pays a hefty 3.26% dividend. It operates as an energy company in the United States through two segments.

The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest. To develop electricity, Duke Energy uses the following:

• Coal

• Hydroelectric

• Natural gas

• Oil

• Solar and wind sources

• Renewables

• Nuclear fuel

This segment also sells electricity to municipalities, electric cooperative utilities, and load-serving entities.

The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure segment distributes natural gas to

The segment also invests in pipeline transmission projects, renewable natural gas projects, and natural gas storage facilities.

The $142 Goldman Sachs price target represents an 11% gain from current trading levels.

ConocoPhillips

The big always gets bigger, and this company completed a $22.5 billion purchase of Marathon Oil in late 2024. This deal added high-quality assets, particularly in the Eagle Ford and Bakken shales, to the company’s portfolio. ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is an exploration and production company with a dividend yield of 1.91%.

Its Alaska segment primarily explores for, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. The Lower 48 segment comprises operations in the 48 contiguous U.S. states and the Gulf of America. Canadian operations consist of the Surmont oil sands development in Alberta, the liquids-rich Montney unconventional play in British Columbia, and commercial operations.

The Europe, Middle East, and North Africa segment consists of operations principally located in:

The Asia Pacific segment has exploration and production operations in China, Malaysia, and Australia, as well as commercial operations in China, Singapore, and Japan. The Other International segment includes interests in Colombia as well as contingencies associated with prior operations in other countries.

The Goldman Sachs $144 target price represents a 14% gain from current levels.

McDonald’s

This American multinational fast-food chain is a solid pick when the economy goes south or north. McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) is among the safest large-cap restaurant ideas and pays a solid 2.47% dividend. It operates and franchises McDonald’s restaurants in the United States and internationally. Approximately 95% of McDonald’s 13,500 U.S. restaurants are owned and operated by independent business owners. McDonald’s is approaching the 50-year mark and is widely seen as a likely entrant to the prestigious Dividend Kings, given its consistent dividend growth and durable business model.

The company’s restaurants offer:

• Hamburgers and cheeseburgers

• Chicken sandwiches and nuggets

• Fries

• Salads

• Shakes

• Frozen desserts

• Sundaes

• Soft serve cones

• Bakery items

• Soft drinks

• Coffee

• Muffins

• Sausages

• Biscuit and bagel sandwiches

• Oatmeal

• Hash browns

• Breakfast burritos

• Hotcakes

The $370 Goldman Sachs target price would be a 26% gain from current levels.

United Healthcare

This company has rallied back from a tragedy and pays a solid 1.87% dividend. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a healthcare and well-being company.

Its segments include:

• Employer & Individual, which provides health benefit plans to nearly 27 million people.

• Medicare & Retirement is focused on the health and well-being needs of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries.

• Community & State focuses on economically disadvantaged and medically underserved populations.

Its Optum Health platform provides comprehensive, patient-centered care that addresses physical, mental, and social well-being, delivers primary, specialty, and surgical care, and helps patients and providers navigate and address complex, chronic, and behavioral health needs.

The Optum Insight platform connects the healthcare system through services, analytics, and platforms that simplify and improve the efficiency of clinical, administrative, and financial processes for all participants.

Optum Rx offers a range of pharmacy care services through retail pharmacies, home delivery, and specialty and community health pharmacies, as well as the provision of in-home and community-based infusion services.

Goldman Sachs has a $435 target price, representing a 17% gain from current levels.

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