Markus Andrews

The Federal Reserve kept rates unchanged at the end of its July meeting.
The central bank’s interest-rate policy has far-reaching implications for many types of consumer loans and savings rates.
From credit cards, car loans, mortgages, savings accounts and student debt, here’s how the Fed’s decision influences your wallet.

Five ways the Fed affects your finances

1. Credit cards
Many credit cards have a variable rate, so there’s a direct connection to the Fed’s benchmark.
With a rate cut likely postponed until at least September, the average credit card annual percentage rate is currently just over 20%, according to Bankrate — not far from last year’s all-time high. In 2024, banks raised credit card interest rates to record levels, and some issuers said they are keeping those higher rates in place.

“Rates have slowly increased recently as banks guard against the risks they see in an uncertain economy, and I think the growth is likely to continue until the Fed moves,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree. 
“Any jumps are unwelcome news for cardholders already being pushed to the edge by high interest rates and rising prices,” he added.
2. Mortgages
Mortgage rates don’t directly track the Fed, but are largely tied to Treasury yields and the economy. As a result, experts say, concerns over tariffs and ongoing uncertainty about future costs have kept those rates within the same narrow range for months.
The average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 6.81% as of July 28, while the 15-year, fixed-rate was 6.06%, according to Mortgage News Daily. 

Adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, and home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs, are pegged to the prime rate, and are also elevated.
Those higher rates, along with much higher home prices, have been a relentless obstacle for would-be buyers. “Until mortgage interest rates begin to decline meaningfully, growth in the mortgage market is expected to remain modest,” said Michele Raneri, vice president and head of U.S. research and consulting at TransUnion.
3. Car loans
Auto loan rates are tied to several factors, but the Fed is one of the most significant.
With the Fed’s benchmark holding steady, the average rate on a five-year new car loan is 7.3%, near a record high, while the average auto loan rate for used cars is 10.9%, according to Edmunds.
But car prices are also rising — in part due to pressure from Trump’s tariffs on imported vehicles and car parts — leaving car buyers with bigger monthly payments and a growing affordability issue. Now, the share of new-car buyers with a car payment of more than $1,000 a month is at an all-time high.

GMC SUVs parked outside a GMC Buick dealership in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on March 22, 2025.
Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images

“Consumers are stretching their budgets to the limit, taking on significantly longer loans and bigger monthly payments just to get into a new car, and this is all before we’ve seen tariffs fully manifest in vehicle pricing,” said Joseph Yoon, consumer insights analyst at Edmunds.
Regardless of the Fed’s stance on interest rates, “it won’t immediately change the deeply entrenched affordability challenges in the market,” he added.
4. Student loans
Federal student loan rates are set once a year, based in part on the last 10-year Treasury note auction in May. They are fixed for the life of the loan, so most borrowers are somewhat shielded from Fed moves and recent economic uncertainty.
As of July 1, the interest rates on undergraduate federal student loans for the 2025-26 academic year are 6.39%.
Although borrowers with existing federal student debt balances won’t see their rates change, many are now facing other headwinds with fewer federal loan forgiveness options and a popular repayment plan currently on hold.
5. Savings
On the upside, top-yielding online savings accounts still offer above-average returns and currently pay more than 4%, according to Bankrate.
While the central bank has no direct influence on deposit rates, the yields tend to be correlated to changes in the target federal funds rate — so holding that rate unchanged has kept savings rates above the rate of inflation, which is a major advantage for savers.
“It’s not a good time to be a borrower, but it’s a great time to be a saver — lean into that,” Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate, recently told CNBC.
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Recent changes to the federal student loan system have created challenges for borrowers trying to access debt relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
PSLF allows certain not-for-profit and government employees to have their federal student loans canceled after a decade.
A Biden-era program aimed at helping borrowers claim the aid, known as PSLF Buyback, has stalled under the Trump administration, with 65,448 applications pending as of late June.

Kilito Chan | Moment | Getty Images

Katy Punch has worked as a librarian in North Carolina for more than a decade — a stretch of time that makes her eligible to get her federal student debt excused under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
PSLF, which President George W. Bush signed into law in 2007, allows certain not-for-profit and government employees to have their federal student loans canceled after 120 payments, or 10 years.

However, recent changes to the student loan system have made it difficult, if not impossible, for public servants to access that relief.
Under the Biden administration, Punch, like millions of other borrowers, enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education repayment plan. But when SAVE became mired in political challenges brought by GOP-led states, Punch’s monthly loan payments were paused in a forbearance during the summer of 2024 — and, along with it, her progress toward PSLF.
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The timing for Punch couldn’t have been more frustrating: When the Biden administration put SAVE borrowers into forbearance, she was just five payments away from getting her roughly $30,000 student debt balance wiped away. But her loans have now been in the SAVE forbearance for around a year.
“It feels like I’m having the rug pulled out from under me when I was so close to the finish line,” said Punch, 38.

The Biden administration created a program that should have been perfect for people like Punch: PSLF Buyback. The opportunity allows borrowers who’ve hit 120 months of qualifying employment to submit a request to the Education Department to retroactively pay for any months they missed because of a forbearance or deferment.

I was so close to the finish line.

Katy Punch

However, buyback applications have piled up under the Trump administration.
Punch submitted her buyback request in November. Around eight months later, she still hasn’t heard anything.
“I will gladly pay the five months, but the Department of Education will not let me,” Punch said.

Buyback ‘functionally unavailable’ due to backlog

Tens of thousands of borrowers find themselves stuck in the same predicament as Punch.
Roughly 65,448 PSLF buyback requests were pending with the U.S. Department of Education as of the end of June, according to recent court documents. The bottleneck has only worsened since May, when close to 59,000 applications were under review by the Trump administration.
“The Biden Administration introduced the Public Service Loan Forgiveness buy-back program to allow borrowers to ‘buy’ eligibility into the program — weaponizing a legal discharge plan for political purposes,” said Ellen Keast, deputy press secretary at the Education Department.
“The Department is working its way through this backlog while ensuring that borrowers have submitted the required 120 payments of qualifying employment,” Keast said.

The numbers show that PSLF and the buyback option are “functionally unavailable,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. (The Education Dept. has regularly shared the data on pending buyback requests as part of a lawsuit AFT filed against it. The teacher’s union alleges the agency is blocking borrowers from their rights.)
“It is clear that this administration has no intention of helping working people,” Weingarten said.
The backlog means that borrowers who believe they’re entitled to student loan forgiveness are still stuck carrying their debt and possibly making payments, said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.
“It is inappropriate for the U.S. Department of Education to slow-walk the forgiveness,” Kantrowitz said.
At its current rate, it would take the federal government more than two years to process the current applications, he said, “even as the backlog continues to grow due to new applications.”

With the layoffs, there are fewer staff to review, calculate buyback payments and process applications for borrowers.

Stephanie Sampedro
former Education Dept. employee

The Trump administration’s mass terminations at the Education Dept. are to blame, at least in part, for the pileup, said Stephanie Sampedro, who used to work in the Federal Student Aid office at the agency.
The department announced a reduction in force on March 11 that gutted the agency’s staff by half. 
“With the layoffs, there are fewer staff to review, calculate buyback payments and process applications for borrowers,” said Sampedro, who was part of those March terminations.
“Waiting for debt relief hurts everyone,” Sampedro added. “People are stressed and trying to plan for the future with total uncertainty.”

Financial fallout from delayed student loan forgiveness

While the Education Department works through the buyback pileup, borrowers can either stay in the SAVE forbearance, where their debt will continue to accrue interest starting again in August, or enroll in another PSLF-eligible repayment plan where they’re required to make monthly payments.
Yet borrowers who believe they’re eligible for loan forgiveness now — or, in Punch’s case, since November — may not want to spend months switching into a new repayment plan and then making payments on a debt they shouldn’t owe anymore.
In the meantime, the delayed student loan forgiveness can trigger a cascade of financial consequences for borrowers, consumer advocates said. Research has found student loan payments make it harder for people to save for their futures, open businesses and start families.
Recently, Punch feels like her life is on hold while she waits to hear if her debt will be excused.
If the Trump administration forgives her loans, she said, she’d be able to save more for retirement and salt away money toward her child’s education down the line. She could also finally get some of the repairs and needed improvements done on her house that she’s put off because of her student debt.
“I have dedicated my life to serving in public libraries,” Punch said. “That something I earned has been delayed is really upsetting.”
Are you also waiting for student loan forgiveness under PSLF buyback? If you’re willing to share your experience for a story, I’d love to hear from you at [email protected].

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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Monday introduced a bill to send tariff rebate checks to American families, similar to the stimulus checks sent during the Covid-19 pandemic.
If enacted, the measure would provide a minimum of $600 per adult and dependent child, or $2,400 for a family of four.
The proposal comes after President Donald Trump on Friday told reporters he was “thinking about a little rebate” for Americans from tariff revenue.
Earlier this year, Trump and Elon Musk floated a $5,000 dividend check for Americans, funded by savings from the so-called Department of Government of Efficiency. However, that idea has not happened.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) reacts, on the day where a potential government shutdown looms during the holidays, after a spending bill backed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump failed in the U.S. House of Representatives, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 20, 2024.
Nathan Howard | Reuters

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Monday introduced a bill to send tariff rebate checks to American families, which would be similar to the stimulus checks sent during the Covid-19 pandemic.
If enacted, the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025 would provide “at least” $600 per adult and dependent child, or $2,400 for a family of four, according to a statement from Hawley. The bill allows for a larger rebate if tariff revenue exceeds projections.

Whatever the final amount, the benefit would be reduced by 5% for joint filers with an adjusted gross income above $150,000 or single filers earning more than $75,000.
The Senate bill comes after President Donald Trump on Friday told reporters the administration was “thinking about a little rebate” for Americans from tariff revenue.
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“Like President Trump proposed, my legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country,” Hawley said in a statement.
However, it’s unclear whether the proposal has broad Republican support, particularly among fiscally conservative lawmakers.

Earlier this year, Trump and Elon Musk floated a $5,000 dividend check for Americans, funded by savings from the so-called Department of Government of Efficiency. However, that idea has not happened.

Tariff revenue surplus

The Treasury Department reported an unexpected surplus for June, with a boost from tariff revenue. Customs duties totaled roughly $27 billion for the month, compared with $23 billion in May. The duties reflect a 301% gain from June 2024.   

I would prefer that the revenue was used for deficit reduction rather than just cutting checks to people.

Alex Durante
Tax Foundation senior economist

The tariff rebate check proposal comes as a chorus of lawmakers and policy experts voice concerns about the federal budget deficit.
“I don’t think [a rebate] would be particularly good policy,” Tax Foundation senior economist Alex Durante told CNBC on Friday. “I would prefer that the revenue was used for deficit reduction rather than just cutting checks to people.”
Enacted in early July, Trump’s “one big beautiful” tax-and-spending package could add an estimated $3.4 trillion to the deficit through 2034, according to a conventional score released by the Congressional Budget Office this week.

Rebates could ‘magnify inflationary effects’

The motivation for sending the direct payments would be different than they were during the Covid pandemic, when many households were losing income or unable to work, said Joseph Rosenberg, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center’s tax and income supports division.
Now, the federal government is imposing tariffs that will cost U.S. households, and this would be a way of helping those individuals and families, Rosenberg said.
Tariffs are a tax imposed by foreign nations, paid by domestic companies that import goods or services. U.S. consumers are expected to pay higher prices via companies negatively impacted by the trade policy.
An analysis from The Budget Lab at Yale released Monday found Trump’s tariffs could cost U.S. households an average of $2,400 in 2025.

Because Congress just passed the very expensive “big beautiful” budget and tax legislation, rebates to individuals could exacerbate the effects on the federal budget deficit, he said.
The rebates would reinforce the inflationary effects of the tariffs that already exist, Rosenberg said.
“People will go out and spend some of that money, and that would further put upward pressure on prices and probably magnify inflationary effects,” Rosenberg said.
Pandemic-era fiscal stimulus contributed to an increase in inflation of about 2.6 percentage points in the U.S., according to 2023 research from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. More

President Donald Trump’s blanket tariffs scheduled for Aug. 1 could bring higher prices on certain foods, according to a new Tax Foundation analysis.
The tariffs aim to drive demand for American products, but some goods don’t have a domestic substitute or have limited U.S. production, the analysis found.
Many U.S. food imports already face tariffs ranging from 10% to 30%, but those could exceed 30% in some countries if Trump’s Aug. 1 plan goes into effect.

Dowell | Moment | Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s blanket tariffs scheduled to begin on Aug. 1 could soon bring higher prices on certain foods, according to some experts.
Tariffs are a tax imposed by foreign nations, paid by domestic companies that import goods or services. U.S. consumers are expected to pay higher prices via companies negatively impacted by the trade policy.

One of the goals of Trump’s tariffs is to drive demand for American products. But certain items, such as Brazilian coffee, aren’t produced domestically. Other imports, like bananas, have limited U.S. production, which wouldn’t meet American demand, according to a Tax Foundation analysis published Monday.
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In some cases, U.S. consumers may decide to pay more for these imported food products rather than choosing a substitute, wrote Tax Foundation senior economist Alex Durante.
In 2024, U.S. food product imports totaled about $221 billion. Most of these products already face tariffs ranging from 10% to 30%. However, levies could exceed 30% for some countries if Trump’s Aug. 1 tariffs go into effect, the Tax Foundation found.
“We could see some large movements in prices over the next few months if the administration holds firm to that Aug. 1 deadline,” Durante told CNBC.

The top five imported foods by volume that could face tariffs are liqueurs and spirits, baked goods, coffee, fish and beer, which account for roughly 21% of total U.S. food imports, according to the Tax Foundation analysis.
Grocery prices were about 2.4% higher than one year ago, according to the latest inflation report based on June data. But the full impact of Trump’s tariffs is not yet reflected, experts say.
“It’s way too soon for the administration to be doing a victory lap because most of their planned tariff increases have not gone into effect yet,” Durante told CNBC.
A separate analysis by The Budget Lab at Yale, also from Monday, estimated that tariff price increases to date will raise food costs by 3.4% in the short-run, and that prices will stay 2.9% higher in the long-run. Fresh produce could initially be 6.9% more expensive while stabilizing at 3.6% higher, the analysis found.

“The Administration has consistently maintained that the cost of tariffs will be borne by foreign exporters who rely on access to the American economy, the world’s biggest and best consumer market,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told CNBC in a statement.
Desai also shared a July analysis from the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, which showed the prices of imported goods, as measured by the personal consumption expenditure price index, fell from December through May. More

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep its benchmark short-term borrowing rate unchanged once again at its meeting this week.
Many consumer borrowing rates are pegged to the Fed’s benchmark, but they don’t necessarily move in lockstep.
From mortgage rates to auto loans and credit cards, here’s a look at how consumer rates have continued to fluctuate over the first half of the year.

The trickle down from the Fed’s benchmark interest rate appears most obvious in credit cards, although by the numbers it’s a very slight change.
The average rate for credit card balances had been steadily increasing since the Fed began raising rates in 2022 until it finally crested just below 21% last fall, according to Bankrate. Since then, rates have nudged downward and have been hovering around 20.1% for the first half of 2025.

Auto loans have also seen very little movement in the first half of 2025, and 30-year fixed rate mortgages, whose rates are more closely tied to the yield on 10-year Treasurys, have hovered between 6.6% and 7.1% after hitting a low near 6% last fall, according to Freddie Mac.

‘No guarantee’ of lower borrowing costs

President Donald Trump has argued that maintaining a federal funds rate that is too high makes it harder for businesses and consumers to borrow, essentially pumping the brakes on economic growth and the housing market.
Still, “there is no guarantee” that a rate cut would translate into lower borrowing costs for most Americans, according to Brett House, an economics professor at Columbia Business School.
Some variable-rate loans, like credit cards, have a direct connection to the Fed’s benchmark, while others, like mortgage rates, are more closely pegged to Treasury yields and the U.S. economy, he said. “It is entirely likely that cuts to the fed funds rate in the face of increasing inflation would push mortgage rates up, not down.”
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A little-known Canadian vape company called CEA Industries saw shares surge nearly 550% after it announced a plan to enter the crypto treasury game.
CEA is raising funds to purchase Binance Coin for its corporate treasury.
The company is the latest player to borrow MicroStrategy’s playbook of accumulating crypto as a treasury reserve asset.

The logos of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether outside a cryptocurrency exchange in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. 
David Lombeida | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The crypto market’s bullishness may be tipping into speculative frenzy, if the latest MicroStrategy-style copycat is any indication.
On Monday, a little-known Canadian vape company saw its stock surge on plans to enter the crypto treasury game – but this time with Binance Coin (BNB), the fourth largest cryptocurrency by market cap, excluding the dollar-pegged stablecoin Tether (USDT), according to CoinGecko.

Shares of CEA Industries, which trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker VAPE, rocketed more than 800% at one point after the company announced its plans. CEA, along with investment firm 10X Capital and YZi Labs, said it would offer a $500 million private placement to raise proceeds to buy Binance Coin for its corporate treasury. Shares ended the session up nearly 550%, giving the company a market cap of about $48 million.
Given the more crypto-friendly regulatory environment this year, more public companies have adopted the MicroStrategy playbook of using debt financing and equity sales to buy bitcoin to hold on their balance sheet to try to increase shareholder returns, pushing bitcoin to new records.
Now, with the S&P 500 trading at new records, the resurgence of meme mania and a pro-crypto White House supporting the crypto industry, investors are looking further out on the risk spectrum of crypto hoping for bigger gains.
In recent months, investors have rotated out of bitcoin and into ether, which led to a burst of companies seeking a similar treasury strategy around ether. SharpLink Gaming, whose board is chaired by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin, was one of the first to make the move. Other companies like DeFi Development Corp, renamed from Janover, are making similar moves around Solana.

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As airport security checkpoints go through processing changes, experts say that memberships that offer modified security screenings may still be worth the cost. 
Almost all, 99%, of TSA PreCheck passengers wait less than 10 minutes, while standard screening lanes typically take 30 minutes or less, according to the agency.
“There are still a lot of compelling benefits for PreCheck,” said Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group, a travel industry market research and advisory firm.

Passengers walk through the entrance of a TSA PreCheck in Terminal One at O’Hare International Airport Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Armando L. Sanchez | Chicago Tribune | Getty Images

As airport security checkpoints undergo changes that may help travelers get through faster and with less hassle, experts say paid services offering modified security screenings — like TSA PreCheck, Global Entry and Clear — may still be worth the cost. 
Earlier this month, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that in certain airports, families will have their own dedicated screening lanes as part of a new initiative called “Families on the Fly.” That follows a change ending the Transportation Security Agency’s “shoes off” travel policy.

Noem has also floated the idea of allowing more liquids in carry-ons, which could also affect the speed of airport screenings.
The ability to keep shoes on through security was once a perk limited to TSA PreCheck enrollees. Qualifying travelers can go through the program’s screening without taking off items including shoes, belts and light jackets, or removing items from bags like travel-size liquids or laptops.
Even with some friendlier screening policies in play, experts say paid memberships still have value.
“There are still a lot of compelling benefits for PreCheck,” said Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group, a travel industry market research and advisory firm.
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About 39% of surveyed travelers with TSA PreCheck said the biggest perk was having a less stressful experience, according to a survey by UpgradedPoints, a travel site. In March, the site surveyed 1,515 travelers, including 659 who had a TSA PreCheck membership.
It’s one of the five trusted traveler programs available through Homeland Security that provide modified screening for pre-approved members.
There are also private companies like Clear that offer their own paid memberships to get through the airport screening line faster.
Almost all, 99%, of TSA PreCheck passengers wait less than 10 minutes, while standard screening lanes typically take 30 minutes or less, according to the agency.

Enrollment, renewal costs may vary

Membership for TSA PreCheck is valid for five years, but enrollment and renewal fees depend on the servicer you choose to work with, and whether the process is done in-person or online.
“Each enrollment provider is allowed to set its own prices for enrollment and renewal fees with TSA approval,” according to a TSA spokesperson. 
For instance, Telos, one of the three TSA-approved service providers, charges an enrollment cost of $85 and a renewal fee of $70 for both online and in-person. 

Another TSA-approved service provider is Clear, which charges $77.95 to enroll in PreCheck. For renewals, the company charges $68.95 if done online and $77.95 if done in-person.
Meanwhile, a Clear Plus membership costs $209.
Several other trusted traveler programs include TSA PreCheck as part of their packages, such as Global Entry, which offers an expedited screening through U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon arrival from overseas. The membership costs $120 and lasts for five years.
“Travelers can select the enrollment provider that best suits their needs,” the TSA spokesperson told CNBC.
Here’s how to decide if a pre-screening membership is worth it for you, according to experts. 

1. Assess how often you travel

Before you sign up or begin the application, factor in how often you travel every year, experts say. 
If you only travel once or twice a year, it may not be worth going through the effort and the cost, said Sally French, a travel expert at NerdWallet. 
To apply for TSA PreCheck, for example, you need to complete an online application. Then you need to visit an enrollment center — some might accept walk-ins, while others require appointments — where you bring necessary documents, have your photo taken and fingerprints scanned.
But if you travel more frequently, then TSA PreCheck “can be worth it,” said Harteveldt. 
Some credit cards and loyalty programs will cover fees for enrollment in TSA PreCheck or other pre-screening memberships. That can make enrolling more worthwhile, even for infrequent travelers.

2. Pick the right program for your needs

If you travel internationally, Global Entry is another trusted traveler program to consider. Qualifying individuals can access expedited customs screening upon returning to the U.S. from other countries, and the membership also includes access to TSA PreCheck lanes.
However, think about how often you travel abroad, whether for business or leisure, and if you have an upcoming overseas trip.
Not only is the enrollment fee more expensive but there may be limited enrollment centers in your state, making the application process more onerous. You may need to travel long distances to your nearest center, and scheduling an appointment may be difficult.
“A lot of people have cited it’s difficult to even get an interview,” said French.

Meanwhile, the value of a Clear Plus membership may depend in part on where you travel, experts say: It’s in more than 60 airports, including some international locations.
Clear also “has value outside of airports” as its membership is available for lines in certain stadiums and arenas, said French. More

A sign is posted on the exterior of a Verizon store on September 30, 2024 in Daly City, California. 
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images

As the stock market focuses on major earnings and negotiations on the tariff front, investors seeking a regular income stream continue to look for attractive dividend stocks amid ongoing volatility.
To this end, the analysis of top Wall Street analysts can provide useful insights that can help investors pick companies with solid fundamentals and the ability to pay dividends consistently.  

Here are three dividend-paying stocks, highlighted by Wall Street’s top pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.

EOG Resources

Oil and gas exploration and production company EOG Resources (EOG) is first on this week’s list. In May, the company announced a deal to acquire Encino Acquisition Partners (EAP) for $5.6 billion. EOG stated that the deal’s accretion to its free cash flow supports a 5% increase in its quarterly dividend, to $1.02 per share, payable on Oct. 31. At an annualized dividend of $4.08 per share, EOG stock offers a dividend yield of 3.4%.
Ahead of EOG Resources’ second-quarter earnings call on Aug. 8, Siebert Williams Shank analyst Gabriele Sorbara reiterated a buy rating on EOG stock with a price forecast of $155. In comparison, TipRanks’ AI analyst has a price target of $138 on EOG stock with an “outperform” rating. Meanwhile, Sorbara stated that he expects EOG to report strong quarterly results on both the operational and financial fronts. 
The five-star analyst believes that investors will pay more attention to EOG’s significant expansion in the Utica shale via the EAP acquisition, as the deal is expected to provide catalysts from the integration, synergies, and execution in the quarters ahead. 
“All in all, we are positive EOG into the print, especially since EOG should be more defensive in the current price environment,” said Sorbara.

The analyst is also bullish on EOG due to its peer-leading shareholder returns, supported by its solid free cash flow generation, best-in-class balance sheet, and the Utica shale expansion. Sorbara expects EOG to maintain its commitment to return at least 70% of free cash flow to shareholders annually via dividends and opportunistic buybacks. He expects $450 million of buybacks for Q2 2025. Overall, Sorbara estimates $976.6 million of capital returns, representing 107.7% of free cash flow and a 6.0% capital returns yield.
Sorbara ranks No. 178 among more than 9,800 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 55% of the time, delivering an average return of 22.5%. See EOG Resources Ownership Structure on TipRanks.

Williams Companies

Energy infrastructure provider Williams Companies (WMB) is the next dividend-paying stock in focus. WMB offers a quarterly dividend of 50 cents per share (annualized dividend of $2.00 per share), reflecting a yield of 3.5%.
Heading into WMB’s Q2 results scheduled for early August, RBC Capital analyst Elvira Scotto reaffirmed a buy rating on the stock with a price target of $63. Interestingly, TipRanks’ AI analyst has a “neutral” rating on WMB stock with a price target of $63. Meanwhile, Scotto lowered the Q2 projections to reflect insights from the conversations with the WMB team, seasonal adjustments to marketing estimates, and RBC’s updated commodity price deck.
Scotto expects sequential decline in commodity prices to be a modest headwind in the second quarter, particularly for WMB’s upstream operations. The analyst expects Q2 results to be impacted by lower quarter-over-quarter marketing contributions due to normal seasonality and higher storage fees, partially offset by contributions from the recent investment in Cogentrix.
On the positive side, Scotto is confident about WMB’s long-term growth, backed by its robust backlog of projects with low build multiples (less than five-times capex to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), with planned in-services dates through 2030. The analyst also expects WMB to benefit from additional behind-the-meter (BTM) projects and the potential revival of the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline and the Constitution pipeline project.
“Despite its recent selloff, we still view WMB as one of the best positioned companies within our coverage universe to benefit from growing natural gas demand,” said Scotto.
Scotto ranks No. 72 among more than 9,800 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings have been successful 67% of the time, delivering an average return of 18.5%. See Williams Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks.

Verizon Communications

Finally, let’s look at telecom giant Verizon Communications (VZ). The company delivered solid results for the second quarter of 2025. Verizon raised the lower end of its annual profit guidance, reflecting robust demand for its premium plans and its reaction to the new tax law under the Trump administration.
The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.6775 per share, payable on Aug. 1. With an annualized dividend of $2.71, VZ stock offers a dividend yield of 6.3%.
In reaction to the Q2 print, Citi analyst Michael Rollins reiterated a buy rating on Verizon stock with a price forecast of $48. Also, TipRanks’ AI analyst has an “outperform” rating on VZ stock with a price target of $49. Rollins noted Verizon’s Q2 performance and the upgrade to the full-year EBITDA and EPS guidance based on the relative strength in the first half of the year.
He added that key performance indicators (KPIs) were mixed and continue to reflect a more promotional competitive backdrop. Notably, Rollins trimmed his postpaid phone subscriber outlook to reflect a year-over-year rise in churn, which is expected to persist in the second half of the year.
“Verizon indicated a more disciplined approach to subscriber acquisition, which is encouraging for competitive dynamics and its financials, albeit likely dilutive to its near-term volume KPIs,” said Rollins.
Despite additional promotional costs and lighter volume, Rollins believes that Verizon is well-positioned to deliver its full-year guidance. Overall, Rollins remains bullish on VZ stock, given its relative value and opportunities for the company to sustain annual financial growth.
Rollins ranks No. 276 among more than 9,800 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 68% of the time, delivering an average return of 12.6%. See Verizon Stock Charts on TipRanks. More