Stock volatility has heated up in the last few weeks. The S&P 500 made its biggest weekly decline since 2012 back at the end of August, then fell about 3% in September.

Now, as October gets started, we’ve been greeted by some big moves both up and down as stock market volatility persists in the fourth quarter.

Traders will tell you that volatility is a sign to change direction, and to look for new opportunities. But long-term investors focused on stability and dividends don’t necessarily have to panic just because the S&P has started showing a little more “wiggle.”

In fact, there are a host of great stocks to buy out there that you may want to continue adding to your portfolio amid this increased stock market volatility, because a short-lived decline could provide a great entry price for new investors.

Here are five such stocks to buy — rock-solid investments worth buying on a pullback amid October’s volatility.

Stocks to Buy: Utilities SPDR (XLU)

• Sector: Utilities
• YTD Performance: +13% vs. 3% for the S&P 500
• Dividend Yield: 3.5%

The utilities sector is known for its defensive nature, but it got a bad rap in 2013 as many major utility stocks underperformed amid the face-ripping rally of 30% for the S&P 500.

Now, however, utility stocks have returned to favor with outperformance in 2014 amid a volatile market; the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (XLU) is up 13% YTD, about four times the roughly 3% gain for the S&P 500 in that same period.

There isn’t a lot of sex appeal to utility stocks, of course. These corporations are legalized monopolies in most places, as the only source of electricity for businesses and residences, and strict regulation keeps them pretty boxed in as to growth prospects.

However, utilities always have a steady stream of cash from monthly electricity bills being paid — and big dividends as a result.

I like the XLU fund for its diversification, and the nice 3.5% dividend that comes with it. Top components include Duke Energy (DUK), Dominion Resources (D) and NextEra Energy (NEE).

These are all decent options if you want to go it alone on a single utility stock, but amid increased volatility it may be safer no to put all your eggs in one basket. At just 0.16% in expenses, or $16 per $10,000 invested, it’s pretty cheap to spread your risk around via this utilities ETF instead of picking just one player.

For more details on holdings and performance, check out the official XLU fund site here.

 Stocks to Buy: Digital Realty Trust (DLR)

• Sector: REITs
• YTD Performance: +29% vs. 4% for the S&P 500
• Dividend Yield: 5.3%

Real estate investment trusts are great investments for income investors, because they are granted special breaks by the IRS so long as they return 90% of their taxable income back to shareholders via dividends.

Of course, if the economy takes a turn for the worse then you may not want to be heavily exposed to real estate … but unlike other REITs, Digital Realty Trust (DLR) is much more of a tech stock than a real estate company. This $8.5 billion company owns data center facilities that are rented out by other technology clients.

While there are a few major partners like CenturyLink (CTL) and VMware (VMW), one of the best things about Digital Realty is that it has a diverse client base that include many smaller and mid-sized tech companies. After all, it’s often cheaper and less risk for a start-up to simply use DLR server space instead of building their own data center.

Digital Realty has handily outperformed in 2014, and it boasts an impressive dividend yield to boot. In fact, the dividend growth alone is reason to consider this stock as its quarterly distributions have soared from just 15.6 cents a decade ago to an amazing 83 cents now — a 430% increase in payouts!

And unlike other volatile tech stocks, the bottom line is that any internet company needs server space simply to run its operations — meaning a very reliable revenue stream for DLR, since data storage is very much a staple utility like electricity or water to these tech companies and there is guaranteed baseline demand.

Stocks to Buy: Cisco (CSCO)

• Sector: Enterprise technology
• YTD Performance: +4% vs. 4% for the S&P 500
• Dividend Yield: 3.2%

Pivoting from the loosely tech-focused investment of DLR to a megacap player in the space, Cisco Systems (CSCO) offers a different but similar take on the baseline demand of high-tech corporations.

Sure, CSCO isn’t the growth darling it was during the dot-com days … but it remains one of the biggest names in enterprise technology, as a leader in networking hardware and software. The reliable sales it generates from these businesses means reliable revenue for its dividends. Those payouts yield 3.2% annually at current pricing, but it’s worth noting that the payouts have more than tripled in less than four years, from just 6 cents per share when the dividend was initiated at the start of 2011 to 19 cents per share currently.

Cisco is still relevant, and is pivoting the best it can to become a dominant player in cloud computing as well. The company is investing $1 billion over two years to build a global cloud computing network.

At the same time, the company continues to cut out bloat. CSCO announced the fourth consecutive bout of summer layoffs a few months ago, cutting 6,000 more workers in an effort to streamline operations and prop up profits.

Beyond all this, Cisco stock also enjoys some $50 billion in cash and short-term investments to backstop those payouts, too. Throw in almost $13 billion in operating cash flow last year and the strength of Cisco Systems, Inc. becomes clear in the balance sheet.

CSCO is a bit more cyclical than some other picks, so could take a turn for the worse if volatility heats up. But given the long-term potential here from dividends and the stable balance sheet, Cisco certainly won’t stay down for long.

Stocks to Buy: AllianceBernstein (AB)

• Sector: Investment Banking
• YTD Performance: +13% vs. 4% for the S&P 500
• Dividend Yield: 7.7%

Oddly enough, volatility in the capital markets may mean that it’s time to consider investing in an investment manager like AllianceBernstein (AB).

In a benignly higher stock market, investment firms like AllianceBernstein have trouble showing their merit — because frankly, anybody can make money by just throwing their investments at an index fund. However, as the markets become more selective it becomes harder for the “do it yourself” investor … and as the Federal Reserve pivots away from quantitative easing and debates tightening monetary policy, adjusting asset allocations and using hedging strategies will make more sense.

We’ve seen a big lift in AB stock over the last year or so and strong earnings for the $2.3 billion company

And, as Cash Machine editor Bryan Perry pointed out recently, there could also be a shot at a big pop on continued Wall Street dealmaking  sending business towards AB. “There’s been an enormous amount of mergers and acquisitions lately, and I expect that ‘urge to merge’ will remain prevalent as long as capital is so cheap and plentiful for those who can access it,” he writes.

There is some cyclical exposure here, naturally, as a financial stock. But investors could be well-served buying the dip in AB stock considering it boasts a massive 7.7% dividend based on the last four payouts as a hedge against any modest share price declines.

AllianceBernstein continues to see inflows of assets under management, and the company’s largest accounts are in the fixed-income realm — meaning that if the stock market does start to get choppy and shake out investors, the yield-oriented clients of AB will actually be quite happy with their portfolios.

Admittedly, payouts can be volatile, so the dividend yield isn’t guaranteed. But even if you take its lowest distribution in the last two years and annualize it (that would be 36 cents paid in late 2012) you still get a juicy 6% yield … and if share prices dip, the yield will be even more attractive if those payouts stay put.

Stocks to Buy: Unilever (UL)

• Sector: Consumer staples
• YTD Performance: -2% vs. +4% for the S&P 500
• Dividend Yield: 3.7%

Charles Sizemore of Sizemore Capital Management recently picked his three “worry free stocks” for retirement, and U.K.-based Unilever (UL) was one of them.

I completely agree with the call — not just because Unilever is extremely stable as a consumer staples giants, with brands like Dove soap and Lipton teas, but because it’s also a dividend machine with upside potential.

For starters, while Unilever is entrenched and stable in the West, it has big growth potential in emerging markets. UL generates more than half of its revenue outside America and Europe, and while Latin America and Asia aren’t exactly booming, they are seeing a continued rise in middle-class consumers looking for Western brands as a sign of status.

Dividends are growing steadily, too. UL stock paid roughly 27 cents per share at the start of 2010 but now dividends are 38 cents — a 40% increase in payouts over just four years.

In the bigger picture, European equities have been held back in the last several months on fears that the eurozone isn’t recovering quite as much as previously hoped — and amid these struggles, the European Central Bank has taken more aggressive moves to cut rates and stimulate the economy. It all adds up to a good price for UL on a pullback, particularly as the euro continues to weaken as a currency and provide a nice tailwind to Unilever earnings.

Jeff Reeves is the editor of InvestorPlace.com and the author of The Frugal Investor’s Guide to Finding Great Stocks. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Write him at editor@investorplace.com or follow him on Twitter via @JeffReevesIP.