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.
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 0.69%) 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 0.01%) 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.
