Evercore ISI refreshed its list of analysts' top stock picks, bringing a couple of dividend-paying names on board. The firm's so-called Best Core Ideas list include names with an investment horizon of at least one year. These stocks are all rated outperform by Evercore's team of analysts. In this latest refresh, additions to the list include health insurer Humana and utilities play NRG Energy – and both happen to offer dividends. Here's a list of other dividend payers that are on Evercore's list. Humana Shares of the health insurer are up more than 40% year to date, and the stock pays a modest dividend yield of about 1%. Evercore's price target of $480 suggests 28% upside from Monday's close. "Increased pricing discipline improves [Medicare Advantage] margin outlook materially," wrote analyst Elizabeth Anderson, adding that the company has been prioritizing profitability over growth in its approach toward 2027 Medicare Advantage bids. The next building block for Humana's earnings per share will be improvements to its largest Medicare Advantage plan, which could help it regain its 4-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to Anderson. The plan, known as H5216, currently has 3.5 out of 5 stars, and an improvement to the rating could be a key swing factor for Humana's 2028 earnings per share. "With the stock up ~40% YTD, 2026 performance is largely reflected," wrote Anderson. "The debate now shifts to whether HUM regains 2027 Stars, where our analysis points to upside risk." Thirteen out of 29 analysts polled by LSEG rate Humana a buy or strong buy, with consensus price targets suggesting more than 10% upside. NRG Energy NRG Energy is also on Evercore's list. Shares sold off hard on Tuesday after the company reaffirmed its full-year guidance, calling for adjusted earnings of $7.90 to $9.90 per share, versus the FactSet consensus call for $9.21 per share. The company also stuck with its projections for full-year adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income, with consensus estimates landing squarely within the stated ranges. Investors are overlooking NRG's integrated flexibility stack, in particular the company's so-called Virtual Power Plants , in which a combination of energy sources, including solar panels and batteries, generate and store electricity, said analyst Nicholas Amicucci. His price target of $215 suggests 55% upside from Monday's close. "We believe the integrated flexibility stack is underappreciated and positions NRG to address both speed-to-power and affordability, with over 200 MW in the Texas residential VPP program against an 1 GW target and 1.5 GW of [ Texas Energy Fund ] projects on track." The Texas Energy Fund provides loans to utilities to jumpstart natural gas power generation projects. NRG shares are off more than 25% in 2026, and the stock offers a dividend yield of 1.6%. Wall Street is largely upbeat on the stock, with 15 out of 18 rating it buy or strong buy, per LSEG, and consensus target prices calling for about 67% upside. Other dividend payers on Evercore's list include Chevron , which is up 25% in 2026 and has a dividend yield of 3.7%; Texas Instruments , up 64% year to date with a dividend yield of about 2%; and McDonald's , off 13% this year with a dividend yield of 2.8%.