dividend stocks are poised to notch an impressive victory this year the dow jones us select dividend index is ahead 55 cruising past the sp 500 index down 144 in total returns even more impressive dividend stocks have left the techheavy nasdaq composite index down 267 in the dust the disparity isn’t likely to last as these performance trends tend to even out or reverse—growth could make a comeback pulling up tech and other sectors not known for big dividends but some analysts expect dividend stocks to keep powering ahead betting that investors will favor their defensive qualities amid a potential recession and other market headwinds