Opinion: These 3 safe stocks yield more than 10-year Treasurys

After the volatility of early 2022 and the aggressive rate tightening by the Fed, there’s a return of chatter about the “Great Rotation” – that is, a broad move among investors to reduce exposure to growth-oriented stocks and increase their positions in value stocks as well as bonds.

Admittedly, we’ve seen head-fakes about the Great Rotation before. In late 2020 and early 2021, we saw yields surge and value stocks outperform troubled tech firms. That trend didn’t last, however, and there’s no guarantee the current environment will, either.

But with apologies to Sir John Templeton, this time really does feel different. We’ve seen the Fed execute four interest rates this year in the most aggressive period monetary policy in roughly 30 years.

If you’re looking to change your portfolio allocation away from old growth darlings, you don’t have to dive back into the bond market. There are some high-yield stocks out there that offer payouts that are roughly double that of the typical S&P 500
SPX,
+0.29%

stock – and even better than the roughly 3.0% yield of 10-year Treasury notes
TMUBMUSD10Y,
3.073%
.

And unlike some high yield stocks that are high risk, these three have exhibited relatively low volatility and have sustainable payouts that won’t be cut at the first sign of trouble.

JPMorgan Chase

In July, megabank JPMorgan Chase
JPM,
+0.24%

started the earnings parade for the financial sector, as usual. Unfortunately, those results didn’t blow anyone’s hair back, and the stock slumped after news of a modest earnings miss and that it would suspend stock buybacks.

However, the lull didn’t last long. Strong results from its peers reinforced the notion of a tailwind for the sector driven by higher interest rates and strong lending. Furthermore, the suspension of stock buybacks wasn’t thanks to any bad behavior or shortfalls; rather, it is part of meeting expected higher regulatory capital requirements through 2024.

Shares have snapped back by about 10% over the last month. The dividend yield is 3.4%.

What better way is there to play the broader tailwinds for the financial sector than with the largest bank in the U.S. by assets and by market cap, as the domestic economy continues to chug along and as rising rates boost net interest margins?

Besides, it’s not like JPM is losing relevancy. Consider a few details from its recent earnings report that show credit-card loan balances were up 9% in the quarter, and total spending among the bank’s customers grew 15% year-over-year. That’s not as sexy as the lucrative IPO and investment-banking businesses that were booming prepandemic, but it’s proof of the bank’s staying power.

Some dividend investors may be leery of the stock after its reductions in payouts in the wake of the financial crisis. But keep in mind that like current capital constraints, these cuts were in response to regulators. Also, while peers like Bank of America
BAC,
+0.32%

and Citigroup
C,
+0.12%

have yet to reach either 2008 share price levels and their quarterly dividend rates, JPM doesn’t have that problem; the current dividend rate of $4.00 annually is significantly higher than the payouts of $1.52 pre-crisis.

AbbVie

Leading pharmaceutical stock AbbVie 
ABBV,
-0.80%

has admittedly lost some momentum from its 2022 highs. However, it’s still up on the year – and more importantly for income-oriented investors, pays more than double the yield of the S&P 500 at 4.0%.

The stock is riding a series of favorable trends, including continued resilience of its anti-inflammatory blockbuster Humira as well as strong growth for drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq that treat autoimmune disorders. In July the company posted double-digit earnings growth – including a stunning 86% increase in sales of Crohn’s disease treatment Skyrizi, pushing the drug over $1 billion in quarterly sales for the first time.

The company’s brand is young, but it was formed by spinning out the branded pharmaceuticals and drug research arm in 2013 from parent Abbott Laboratories
ABT,
-0.54%
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That means you can actually trace the history back more than 130 years – including an enviable track record of 49 consecutive years of dividend increases through this parent.

But if you’re only concerned with recent history, there’s still a lot to like in this dividend leader. The company has increased its dividend by more than 250% since its inception. And on the heels of a $63-billion acquisition of Allergan in 2020, industry research firm Evaluate Pharma has predicted AbbVie will become the largest pharmaceutical company by prescription drug sales by 2028.

That means it’s likely we can expect many more things from its product pipeline – and plenty of additional dividend increases – in the years to come.

What’s more, if you’re afraid of volatility returning you could do worse than hide out in the healthcare sector. Drug sales are recession-proof, and the harsh reality is that the rather dysfunctional American healthcare system has suffered chronic price inflation for decades without disrupting stocks like AbbVie so far.

Tapestry

You may not think a retail-oriented stock is a particularly wise bet amid the market uncertainty and inflationary pressures. But high-end brands tend to be more resilient than down-market consumer companies, and Tapestry
TPR,
-0.58%

 commands a loyal base thanks to luxury nameplates that include Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman.

Specifically, Tapestry’s latest results included record annual sales of $6.7 billion, up more than 15% over the prior year and topped FY2019 levels from before the pandemic. So much for the pressures of inflation holding back sales!

What’s more, this growth has happened even as lingering pandemic-related restrictions have continued to disrupt its international sales in mainland China, where sales across Greater China fell 30%. If this is what Tapestry can do with China headwinds, just imagine what it will do in the future after things turn around here.

Dividend investors may still feel burned after the company briefly suspended its payouts during the pandemic. But it’s worth noting that Tapestry is clearly committed to returning capital to its shareholders now that it’s back on track. As proof: It repurchased $1.6 billion in common stock across last year, and expects to buy back $700 million more in the year ahead. Furthermore, its board just approved a 20% bump in dividends to 30 cents a share.

The dividend yield is now 3.3%.

After all this, it’s no wonder the Wall Street community is wild for this stock. In August, Barclays and Cowen & Co. offered up “buy” or similar ratings on the stock, and in July Wells Fargo reiterated its “overweight” rating on Tapestry.

Jeff Reeves is a MarketWatch columnist. He doesn’t own any of the stocks mentioned in this article.

Hear from Carl Icahn at the Best New Ideas in Money Festival on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22 in New York. The legendary trader will reveal his view on this year’s wild market ride.

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Source: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-3-safe-stocks-yield-more-that-10-year-treasurys-11661271337?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo