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These top dividend stocks can help ride out market volatility, investor says

Cnbc · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 832 words · By Michelle Fox
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What to know about These top dividend stocks can help ride out market volatility, investor says

Investors looking for stability amid the market volatility should consider a diversified portfolio of dividend stocks, according to ClearBridge Investments' Michael Clarfeld.

Claims checked 18
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Investors looking for stability amid the market volatility should consider a diversified portfolio of dividend stocks, according to ClearBridge Investments' Michael Clarfeld.

Why it matters

The S & P 500 rose to a fresh record on Monday even as oil jumped on concerns over the Iran war.

Common ground

Iranian state media reported the country stopped negotiations with the U.S.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/01/these-top-dividend-stocks-can-help-ride-out-mark…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 8
check_circle Corroborated 8
verified Verified By Reference 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “The stock [Marsh] has a 2.2% dividend yield.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 2: “Inflation continues to run well above the Federal Reserve's target of 2%.”
CORROBORATED
Five independent cross-references from CNBC, NY Post, and NBC Washington all confirm that inflation is running above the Federal Reserve's 2% target.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — inflation running well above the central bank's 2% target
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/29/feds-bowman-warns-against-hi…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target
https://nypost.com/2026/05/22/business/kevin-warsh-sworn-in-…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — inflation is still running comfortably above the Fed's 2% target.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/10/here-are-the-2-big-things-we…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “The personal consumption expenditures price index... rose 3.8% in April and 3.3% when excluding food and energy prices, the Commerce Department reported last week.”
CORROBORATED
The specific figures (3.8% overall and 3.3% core PCE for April) are confirmed by a cross-reference to CNBC and multiple web search results citing the BEA/Commerce Department.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Parents for Choice in Education (PCE) is an advocacy group headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that pushes for school choice programs, including private school vouchers, and supports anti-union leg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parents_for_Choice_in_Educatio…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The economy of Minnesota produced US$472 billion of gross domestic product in 2023. Minnesota headquartered 15 Fortune 500 companies in 2023, the largest of which were UnitedHealth Group (5th) and Tar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Minnesota
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A consumer economy describes an economy driven by consumer spending as a high percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), as opposed to other major components of GDP (gross private domestic investmen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_economy
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “Shares [of Blackstone] are now down more than 23% year to date.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results indicate significant declines for Blackstone in 2026, with one source explicitly stating the stock fell 30% in 2026, which supports the claim that it is down more than 23% year-to-date.
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web search NEUTRAL — Key Takeaways · Blackstone Inc. · Over the past quarter, shares declined -6%, reflecting earlier market volatility and sector pressures amid interest rate ...
https://tickeron.com/ticker/BX/
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 7, 2026 ... Blackstone just reported the best distributable earnings in its 40-year history while the stock trades 41% below its 52-week high, ...
https://www.tikr.com/blog/blackstone-stock-fell-30-in-2026-i…
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web search NEUTRAL — Blackstone fell amid a broad market selloff led by tech weakness and a stronger-than-expected NFP report, though the stock partially rebounded from earlier lows ...
https://www.perplexity.ai/finance/BX?comparing=BX,BLK,KKR,TH…
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Claim 5: “Clarfeld is a portfolio manager on the ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund (SOPAX)”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources (ClearBridge Investments official site, Buyside Digest, and a Fact Sheet) confirm Michael Clarfeld is a Portfolio Manager for the Dividend Strategy.
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web search NEUTRAL — Michael Clarfeld, CFA. Managing Director, Portfolio Manager. 26 Years experience.Michael is a Portfolio Manager on the Dividend Strategy at ClearBridge Investments.
https://www.clearbridge.com/team/michael-clarfeld-cfa
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web search NEUTRAL — Michael Clarfeld, CFA, is Managing Director and Portfolio Manager with 26 years of experience in dividend-focused strategies. Both managers emphasize long tenure and consistent application of investme…
https://www.buysidedigest.com/funds/clearbridge-investments-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Investment overview ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Portfolios invest primarily in dividend-paying stocks that oer the potential for income growth and capital appreciation over time.Michael Clarfeld, CF…
https://www.franklintempleton.com/forms-literature/download/…
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Claim 6: “Clarfeld recently added shares of insurance broker Marsh , which has shed 13% year to date.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 7: “The elevator company [Otis Worldwide], which hit a 52-week low on Monday, reported first-quarter earnings and operating income in late April that fell short of expectations.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 8: “Clarfeld also recently bought Otis Worldwide , which yields 2.4% and has lost nearly 21% so far this year.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 9: “Iranian state media reported the country stopped negotiations with the U.S. and said it will completely shut the Strait of Hormuz because of Israeli attacks on Lebanon.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly documents the '2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign', stating that Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to attacks by the US and Israel.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 19 March 2026, the United States began an aerial campaign against Iranian targets to reopen the Strait of Hormuz following its closure by Iran in response to the attacks by the United States and Is…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_campaign
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) is an Iranian government agency mandated to authorize and regulate maritime transit through the strait of Hormuz. It was founded on 5 May 2026 during the ongoi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf_Strait_Authority
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz () is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast lies the Musandam Peninsula under the Musandam Governorate of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 10: “President Donald Trump said he had a productive call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regardign Lebanon.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources report that Donald Trump had a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Lebanon, which Trump described as 'very productive'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 2 March 2026, there has been an ongoing war in Lebanon between Israel and the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah, with Israel invading parts of Lebanon. It is a resumption of major fighting …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Lebanon_war
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 8 April 2026, shortly after the announcement of a ceasefire to the 2026 Iran war and Hezbollah signalling a pause in attacks against Israel according to the ceasefire, Israel launched what it descr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_April_2026_Israeli_attacks_o…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949), nicknamed "Bibi", is an Israeli politician and diplomat who has served as Prime Minister of Israel since 2022. Having previously held office from 1996 to 199…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Netanyahu
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 11: “it [Blackstone] has an attractive dividend yield of 4.25%.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 12: “SOPAX's top holdings include The Williams Companies , Texas Instruments , Microsoft , Alphabet , Broadcom , Exxon Mobil and Apollo Global Management .”
CORROBORATED
The top holdings are confirmed across multiple sources, including Morningstar and ClearBridge's own representative portfolio data.
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web search NEUTRAL — Holdings ; Williams Companies Inc. 4.33, Mar 31, 2017 ; Microsoft Corp. 4.17, Mar 31, 2009 ; Broadcom Inc. 3.92, Mar 31, 2020 ; Alphabet Inc Class A. 3.72, Jun 30, ...
https://www.morningstar.com/funds/xnas/sopax/portfolio
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... ... holdings include The Williams Companies , Texas Instruments , Microsoft , Alphabet , Broadcom , Exxon Mobil and Apollo Global Management .
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/01/these-top-dividend-stocks-ca…
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web search NEUTRAL — % of Total Representative Portfolio. Williams Cos Inc/The, 4.66. Exxon Mobil Corp, 3.80. Microsoft Corp, 3.62. Texas Instruments Inc ... 2.87. Apollo Global ...
https://www.clearbridge.com/strategy-selector/institutional-…
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Claim 13: “The stock [Blackstone] has an average analyst rating of overweight and 21.5% upside to the average price target, according to FactSet.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 14: “Blackstone... is a diversified alternative asset manager and one of the largest real estate investors”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to verify the description of Blackstone as a diversified alternative asset manager and real estate investor.
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Claim 15: “The fund, which is rated four stars by Morningstar, currently yields 1.99%. It has a 1% expense ratio.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources confirm the fund (SOPAX) has a four-star Morningstar rating, a yield of 1.99%, and a 1% expense ratio.
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web search NEUTRAL — See ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund performance, holdings, fees, risk and other data from Morningstar, S&P, and others.Fees are Average compared to funds in the same category. ClearBridge Dividend …
https://money.usnews.com/funds/mutual-funds/large-value/clea…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 · The fund, which is rated four stars by Morningstar, currently yields 1.99%. It has a 1% expense ratio. SOPAX YTD mountain ClearBridge ...
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/01/these-top-dividend-stocks-ca…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 · The four-star Morningstar-rated fund currently yields 1.99% and carries a 1% expense ratio, while its top holdings include The Williams ...
https://tradersunion.com/news/financial-news/show/2197827-cl…
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Claim 16: “Marsh has an average analyst rating of overweight and 25% upside to the average price target, per FactSet.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 17: “The S & P 500 rose to a fresh record on Monday”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the S&P 500 hit record highs in May 2026, specifically mentioning record closing highs on Thursday (May 28) and crossing the 7,500 level on May 14.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article is a summary of the closing milestones of the S&P 500 Index, a United States stock market index.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closing_milestones_of_the_S&P_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of the largest daily changes in the S&P 500 from 1923. Compare to the list of largest daily changes in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_daily_changes_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — S&P 500 (Standard and Poor's 500) is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 leading companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. It is one of the most commonly followe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&P_500
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 18: “Analysts covering Otis give it an average rating of overweight. The stock has 34.5% upside to the average price target, per FactSet.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.