Dividend stocks are a blessing to investors because they provide income and don't rely on stock price appreciation to reward shareholders. You can't go wrong with dividend payouts at any time, but they're especially helpful when there's a lot of uncertainty in the stock market. Or, more uncertainty than usual, at least. AT&T's free cash flow has reached a level ($17.6 billion in 2024) where it supports its dividend and debt obligations, with enough left over for the investments needed in its broadband and f ...