Investing

5 Defensive Dividend Stocks to Buy Now for the Massive Surge of Inflation

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To everyone who has been paying higher prices recently for a host of different items, the comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about the current inflation as being “transitory” may ring pretty hollow. While Powell and Yellen have backpedaled some, saying things should settle down next year, tell that to consumers who have seen a staggering increase in the price of groceries and drivers paying over $5 a gallon for gasoline in some places.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Producer Price Index, which measures wholesale prices, rose 0.6% in October, translating into an 8.6% increase year over year. That was the highest annual pace in records going back nearly 11 years. Needless to say, investors are not happy about this turn of events. That combined with an overbought, overleveraged and very overpriced stock market hints that we could be very close to a lightning-fast sell-off.

For investors looking to book profits and move to areas that can fight through the inflation backdrop, we screened the BofA Securities research universe for commodities, real estate and other sectors that look solid now. We found five Buy-rated dividend-paying stocks that would be good areas to move to now. It is important to remember that no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision.

Agnico Eagle Mines

This is one of Wall Street’s most preferred North American gold producers. Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (NYSE: AEM) is a senior Canadian gold-mining company that has produced precious metals since 1957. Its eight mines are located in Canada, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in each of these regions, as well as in the United States and Sweden.

The company and its shareholders have full exposure to gold prices due to its long-standing policy of no forward gold sales. Agnico Eagle has declared a cash dividend every year since 1983. The stock was crushed as gold sold well off the January highs, and with an inflation surge you can bet many savvy portfolio managers are ready to add back top companies like this.

Agnico Eagle Mines stock investors receive a 2.60% dividend. The BofA Securities price target is $67, and the consensus is much higher at $99.13. Shares closed on Tuesday trading at $55.53 apiece.


Exxon Mobil

This mega-cap energy leader still offers investors an excellent entry point. Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) is the world’s largest international integrated oil and gas company. It explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas in the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Africa and elsewhere.

Exxon also manufactures and markets commodity petrochemicals, including olefins, aromatics, polyethylene and polypropylene plastics, and specialty products, and it transports and sells crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products.

The company announced last month that ExxonMobil Catalysts and licensing has introduced ExxonMobil Renewable Diesel (EMRD) process technology to help meet the evolving needs for mobility, while utilizing renewable feedstock. This new process technology converts feedstocks including, but not limited to, vegetable oils, unconverted cooking oil and animal fats, into renewable diesel. Due to significant interest in producing renewable jet fuel as a primary product, Exxon is also developing advanced catalyst and process technology solutions that will offer EMRD process licensees flexibility to tailor the amount of jet fuel versus diesel produced.

Investors receive a 5.36% dividend, which will continue to be defended. The BofA Securities price target is $95, well above the $70.82 consensus target for Exxon Mobil stock. The share price on Tuesday’s close was $66.36.

Realty Income

This is an ideal stock for growth and income investors looking for a safer idea moving forward. Realty Income Corp. (NYSE: O) is an S&P 500 company dedicated to providing stockholders with dependable monthly income.

The company is structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT), and its monthly distributions are supported by the cash flow from over 6,500 real estate properties owned under long-term lease agreements with commercial tenants.

To date, the company has declared 604 consecutive common stock monthly dividends throughout its 51-year operating history and increased the dividend 108 times since its public listing in 1994, and it is a member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index.

Investors receive a 3.97% distribution. The $80 BofA Securities price target compares with the $79.25 consensus target. Realty Income stock closed at $70.96 on Tuesday.

Southern Company

This large-cap utility leader makes sense for very conservative investors. Southern Company (NYSE: SO) engages in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. It also constructs, acquires, owns and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy and battery energy storage projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market.

The company distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, wholesale gas services and gas pipeline investments operations. It constructs, operates, and maintains 75,924 miles of natural gas pipelines and 14 storage facilities with total capacity of 157 Bcf to provide natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company serves approximately 8.6 million electric and gas utility customers.

Southern Company also owns or operates 30 hydroelectric generating stations, 24 fossil fuel generating stations, three nuclear generating stations, 13 combined cycle/cogeneration stations, 44 solar facilities, 13 wind facilities, one fuel cell facility and one battery storage facility. It also provides products and services in the areas of energy efficiency and utility infrastructure. In addition, the company offers digital wireless communications and fiber optics services.

Shareholders receive a 4.22% dividend. BofA Securities has set a $69 price target for Southern Company stock. The consensus target is $66.86, and shares closed on Tuesday at $63.35.

VICI Properties

This is the top pick across Wall Street in the net lease group, and it is an ideal stock for investors who are more conservative. VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE: VICI) is a triple net lease REIT that was spun out of Caesars Entertainment post-bankruptcy.

The company has 23 mixed-use gaming, lodging and entertainment properties in its portfolio, and a subsidiary that owns four championship golf courses. VICI also owns roughly 34 acres of undeveloped land in Las Vegas, which it leases to Caesars.

Much of the focus this year was on VICI’s recent deal to acquire the real estate of the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, with Apollo as a new tenant. Looking ahead, many on Wall Street are very positive on VICI’s embedded growth pipeline with Caesars Entertainment, including a put/call on the Centaur properties in Indiana (starting in January 2022) and a right of first refusal on a strip asset sale for Caesars, which could occur soon after a full earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and restructuring or rent costs recovery.

VICI Properties stock investors receive a 4.87% distribution. The BofA Securities price target is $36. The consensus target is $33.42, and shares closed most recently at $29.24.


Another smart idea for conservative investors are Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS), which are a type of Treasury security issued by the U.S. government. TIPS are indexed to inflation in order to protect investors from a decline in the purchasing power of their money. As inflation rises, TIPS adjust in price to maintain their real value.

BlackRock has an exchange-traded fund called the IShares TIPS Bond ETF (NYSEARCA: TIP), which yields 3.61% currently and is a great way for investors to own the bonds without having to buy individual securities.

The bottom line is that inflation, whether transitory or not, appears to be here at least for now. It may be a good time to sell some profitable momentum or technology stocks and move the proceeds to these conservative ideas, some of which pay very large and dependable distributions and dividends.

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