Many investors see dividend stocks as a conservative way to generate income from their investment portfolios, with less appeal for those who really want to own the fastest-growing companies in the market. Yet even though you typically don’t see large dividends from up-and-coming newcomers to key growth industries, many dividend stocks are able to generate strong long-term returns for their shareholders. In fact, the dividends that many stocks pay make up a considerable portion of their total return over time.