A common approach by investors is to target dividend-paying stocks.After all, it’s easy to see why; dividends provide a passive income stream, cushion impacts from drawdowns in other positions, and provide the ability to achieve maximum returns through dividend reinvestment. And in a historically-volatile 2022, it goes without saying that dividends have been a precious item for investors.Just recently, several large-cap stocks have upped their dividend payouts, undoubtedly boosting shareholders’ confidence in a big way.Three large-cap stocks – ConocoPhillips COP, Atmos Energy Corp. ATO, and EOG Resources, Inc. EOG – have all recently hiked their dividend payouts.Below is a chart illustrating the year-to-date performance of all three stocks, with the S&P 500 blended in as a benchmark.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchAs we can see, all three stocks have witnessed positive momentum in 2022, outperforming the S&P 500 by wide margins.Let’s take a closer look at each one.ConocoPhillipsConocoPhillips is one of the world’s largest independent E&P companies based on production and proved reserves.In its Q3 report, the company upped its quarterly dividend by 11% to $0.51 per share and announced a variable return of cash of $0.70 per share, payable on Jan. 13th, 2023, to stockholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 27th, 2022.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchFurther, COP reported quarterly free cash flow of $6.6 billion in Q3, representing a 61% Y/Y increase. As we can see in the chart below, the company’s free cash flow has recovered nicely from 2020 lows.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchAtmos Energy Corp. Atmos Energy Corporation is the nation’s largest fully regulated, natural gas-only distributor of safe, clean, efficient, and affordable energy.In its latest earnings release, the company’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend increase of roughly 9% on its common stock to $0.74 per share, payable on Dec. 12th, 2022, to shareholders on record as of Nov. 28th, 2022.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchEOG ResourcesEOG Resources is primarily involved in exploring and producing oil and natural gas. The leading upstream energy player’s operations are spread across the United States, Trinidad, and other international segments.In the company’s Q3 earnings release, it declared a 10% raise on its quarterly dividend, bringing the payout to $0.82 per share. Further, the company declared a special dividend of $1.50 per share, payable on December 30th, 2022, to shareholders of record as of December 15th, 2022.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchEOG Resources’ free cash flow came in at $3.6 billion in Q3, reflecting a 180% Y/Y uptick and an impressive 400% sequential increase. Similar to COP, the company’s free cash flow has recovered nicely from 2020 lows, shown in the chart below.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchBottom LineInvestors love dividends. After all, having financial assets that pay you is undoubtedly a sweet feeling.In a historically-volatile 2022, dividends have quickly become a hot topic, and for understandable reasons – they cushion drawdowns in other positions and provide a reliable income stream.All three stocks above – ConocoPhillips COP, Atmos Energy Corp. ATO, and EOG Resources, Inc. EOG – have all recently hiked their dividend payouts, providing investors with much-needed confidence surrounding their profitability and growth. Zacks Names "Single Best Pick to Double" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year.Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ConocoPhillips (COP): Free Stock Analysis Report EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG): Free Stock Analysis Report Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research