I consider investing in dividend stocks is an effective way to spice up my earnings. As such, if I had a lump sum of £1,000 to take a position proper now, I might purchase a basket of earnings stocks to generate a passive earnings from these investments.The market’s finest dividend stocksA giant share of firms listed on the London inventory market provide dividend yields. However, a few of these payouts seem safer than others.And it’s these payouts that I might focus on when investing my £1,000. I might reasonably personal stocks with dividends that look safe than chase the market’s highest yields, solely to see them lower at a later date.One firm that instantly stands out to me as being a dividend champion is Legal and General.At the time of writing, the inventory presents a dividend yield of 6.3%. The payout is roofed 1.3 occasions by earnings per share, which suggests the corporate has headroom to extend the payout or keep it if income begin to decline.The solely time lately when the corporate has needed to scale back its distribution was within the monetary disaster. So, the dividend isn’t infallible, and one other disaster may power administration’s hand. Nonetheless, primarily based on its present fundamentals, I’d buy the inventory.Defensive incomeI’d additionally buy Coca-Cola HBC. While this inventory solely helps a dividend yield of two.1% on the time of writing, I’m inspired by its place as the most important Coca-Cola bottler in Europe. I believe this offers it a defensive nature as Coke is likely one of the world’s most precious manufacturers.Still, this doesn’t assure a gradual earnings indefinitely. If gross sales begin to decline or the corporate loses a big contract, income may slide, and its dividend might come underneath strain. Even after taking these dangers into consideration, I’d buy the agency for my portfolio of dividend stocks.The closing company I’d buy is 3I Infrastructure. This agency owns a portfolio of infrastructure property. These are typically nice earnings investments as they often have lengthy lifespans, which may final a long time.Story continuesTherefore, the property have the potential to provide an inflation-linked earnings stream for many years. At the time of writing, the inventory presents traders a dividend yield of three.3%.The major challenges the enterprise may face are greater curiosity prices on its debt, which may weigh on revenue margins. It’s additionally susceptible to dropping working contracts if it doesn’t meet contract circumstances.However, as dividend stocks go, 3I has some improbable qualities, in my view.The backside lineBy buying the three dividend stocks above, I consider I may generate a gradual earnings on an funding of £1,000.What’s extra, it appears as if the earnings from all three firms is backed up by wholesome money flows from strong working companies.These qualities counsel Legal, Coca-Cola HBC, and 3I are a number of the finest earnings stocks available on the market I can buy for my portfolio proper now.The submit Dividend stocks I’d buy with £1,000 appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.More readingRupert Hargreaves has no place in any of the shares talked about. The Motley Fool UK has no place in any of the shares talked about. Views expressed on the businesses talked about on this article are these of the author and due to this fact might differ from the official suggestions we make in our subscription providers similar to Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we consider that contemplating a various vary of insights makes us higher traders.Motley Fool UK 2021