Zacks.com featured highlights include Agnico Eagle Mines, NetEase, Qifu Technology, UGI and McKesson

For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – July 1, 2025 – Stocks in this week’s article are Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. AEM, NetEase Inc. NTES, Qifu Technology Inc. QFIN, UGI Corp. UGI and McKesson Corp. MCK.5 Top-Ranked Dividend Growth Stock Picks for the 2nd Half of 2025Dividend investing remains one of the hottest segments in the first half of 2025 amid heightened volatility and uncertainty. While U.S. stocks have been hovering near record highs, driven by optimism over trade talks, corporate earnings growth, easing inflation and momentum in artificial intelligence, geopolitics and uncertain Fed moves continue to weigh on investors' sentiment.Dividends are major sources of consistent income for investors, but they do not offer dramatic price appreciation. Stocks backed by regular dividends can reduce the volatility of a portfolio and tend to outperform in a choppy market. In particular, focusing on the growth level in this strategy leads to higher returns. Zeroing in on stocks with a history of dividend growth leads to a healthy portfolio with a greater scope of capital appreciation, as opposed to simple dividend-paying stocks or those with high yields.We have selected five dividend growth stocks — Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd., NetEase Inc., Qifu Technology Inc., UGI Corp. and McKesson Corp. — which could be solid choices for the second half.Why is Dividend Growth Better?Stocks that have a strong history of dividend growth belong to mature companies, which are less susceptible to large swings in the market and thus act as a hedge against economic or political uncertainty as well as stock market volatility. At the same time, these offer downside protection with their consistent increase in payouts.Additionally, these stocks have superior fundamentals that make dividend growth a quality and promising investment for the long term. These include a sustainable business model, a long track of profitability, rising cash flows, good liquidity, a strong balance sheet and some value characteristics. Further, a history of strong dividend growth indicates that dividend increase is likely in the future.Although these stocks do not necessarily have the highest yields, they have outperformed for a longer period than the broader stock market or any other dividend-paying stock.Here are five of the 10 stocks that fit the bill:Canada-based Agnico Eagle is a gold producer with mining operations in Canada, Mexico and Finland and exploration activities in Canada, Europe, Latin America and the United States. It saw a positive earnings estimate revision of 9 cents over the past seven days for this year. The company has an estimated earnings growth rate of 48.9%.AEM currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 and has a Growth Score of B. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Beijing-based NetEase is an Internet technology company engaged in the development of applications, services and other technologies for the Internet in China. The stock has an estimated earnings growth rate of 19.9% for this year and delivered an average earnings surprise of 9.17% for the past four quarters.NetEase sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has a Growth Score of A.China-based Qifu Technology is a Credit-Tech platform principally in China that provides a comprehensive suite of technology services to assist financial institutions, consumers and SMEs in the loan lifecycle, ranging from borrower acquisition, preliminary credit assessment, and fund matching to post-facilitation services. The stock has an estimated earnings growth rate of 25.27% for this year and delivered an average earnings surprise of 14.25% for the past four quarters.Qifu has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of A.Pennsylvania-based UGI Corp is a holding company that distributes, stores, transports and markets energy products and related services through its subsidiaries. It is a domestic and international retail distributor of propane and butane liquefied petroleum gases; a provider of natural gas and electric service via regulated local distribution utilities; a generator of electricity and a regional marketer of energy commodities. The stock saw a positive earnings estimate revision of a couple of cents for the fiscal year (ending September 2025) over the past 30 days and has estimated earnings growth of 2.29%.UGI Corp has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B.California-based McKesson is a healthcare services and information technology company. The company saw a positive earnings estimate revision of 17 cents over the past month for the fiscal year (ending March 2026) and has an expected earnings growth rate of 12.65%McKesson has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B.You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2557902/5-top-ranked-dividend-growth-stock-picks-for-the-second-half-of-2025Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.About Screen of the WeekZacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine.  But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.Strong Stocks that Should Be in the NewsMany are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.Follow us on Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/zacksresearchJoin us on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearchZacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.Contact: Jim GiaquintoCompany: Zacks.comPhone: 312-265-9268Email: pr@zacks.comVisit: https://www.zacks.com/Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.Only $1 to See All Zacks' Buys and SellsWe're not kidding.Several years ago, we shocked our members by offering them 30-day access to all our picks for the total sum of only $1. No obligation to spend another cent.Thousands have taken advantage of this opportunity. Thousands did not - they thought there must be a catch. Yes, we do have a reason. We want you to get acquainted with our portfolio services like Surprise Trader, Stocks Under $10, Technology Innovators,and more, that closed 256 positions with double- and triple-digit gains in 2024 alone.See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report McKesson Corporation (MCK): Free Stock Analysis Report NetEase, Inc. (NTES): Free Stock Analysis Report Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM): Free Stock Analysis Report UGI Corporation (UGI): Free Stock Analysis Report Qifu Technology, Inc. (QFIN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks