The majority of Wall Street investors now favor stocks that pay big dividends for a relatively stable source of income, according to the new CNBC Delivering Alpha investor survey. We polled about 400 chief investment officers, equity strategists, portfolio managers and CNBC contributors who manage money about where they stood on the markets for the second quarter and forward. The survey was conducted over the past week. Asked which area to concentrate on to start the second quarter, 34% of respondents said high dividend stocks. A dividend is a portion of a company's earnings that is paid out to shareholders. Stocks with high dividend payouts can provide a reliable stream of income during times of uncertainty. Some of the most popular exchange-traded funds that focus on high dividend stocks include the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF , the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF and the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF . For example, VYM holds AT & T , which pays a 5.8% yield, HP and Exxon Mobil with a 3% dividend each. On the overall market, nearly 70% of respondents said the S & P 500 could see declines ahead . Thirty-five percent of the investors believe the biggest risk to the market this year is a misstep by the Federal Reserve, while another 32% said stubborn inflation poses the most pressing threat. The S & P 500 is on track to post a winning quarter, up more than 5%. The market has been resilient this year in the face of a banking crisis and continuous tightening from the Fed.
