Stock Market Looks Very Overbought: 5 Safe Stocks to Buy Now

May 12, 2017 by Lee Jackson

Any way you look at it, the market has run for a very long time. In fact, it has been more than eight years since the S&P 500 hit an ominous intraday low of 666 in March of 2009. While everybody has been caught up in the Trump rally that has pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average to almost 21,000, the fact of the matter is we appear to be very overbought on a short-term basis and could be in for a sizable correction.

With that in mind, if you have money to put to work, or have tax-loss selling that could raise funds, there are some good blue chip dividend stocks that are reasonably safe and offer good dividends. We screened the JPMorgan research database and found five that look good for the slow summer trading and the rest of 2017.

Bristol-Myers Squibb

This top company remains a favorite on Wall Street. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) is a global pharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, licensing and marketing chemically synthesized drugs or small molecules and biologics in various therapeutic areas, including virology comprising human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV), oncology, neuroscience, immunoscience and cardiovascular.

The company recently announced that Biogen will pay $300 million upfront to Bristol-Myers to license a palsy drug with a $2 billion market opportunity and the potential to use that to treat Alzheimer’s. The company will pay a total of $410 million in milestone payments and a tiered double-digit royalty to license a drug known only as BMS-986168. The drug just completed Phase 1 testing in progressive supranuclear palsy.

Shareholders receive a 2.83% dividend The JPMorgan price objective for the stock is $66, and the Wall Street consensus target price is $57.18. The shares closed trading on Thursday at $55.14 apiece.

Home Depot

This company remains the undisputed leader in the home improvement retail category. Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,270 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico.

Home Depot stores sell various building materials, home improvement products, and lawn and garden products, as well as provide installation, home maintenance and professional service programs to do-it-yourself (DIY), do-it-for-me (DIFM) and professional customers.

Home Depot could continue to be a benefactor from the huge, ongoing rebuilding efforts across the United States as a result of flooding and tornadoes that have caused extensive damage over the past year. With summer right around the corner, there is always a chance for more storms.

Home Depot investors receive a 2.28% dividend. JPMorgan has a $167 price target, and the consensus price objective is $158.54. Shares closed Thursday at $156.20.

Intel

This leader in semiconductors is working hard to scale away from dependence on personal computers, and the Internet of Things (IoT) is a big part of the shift. Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) designs, manufactures and sells integrated digital technology platforms worldwide. The company’s platforms are used in various computing applications comprising notebooks, two-in-one systems, desktops, servers, tablets, smartphones, wireless and wired connectivity products, wearables, retail devices and manufacturing devices, as well as for retail, transportation, industrial, buildings, home use and other market segments.

Earlier this year, Intel announced the purchase of Mobileye for $15.3 billion. The Israel sensor company gives the chip giant a leg up in the autonomous car competition, and it also adds many other capabilities. This is a big IoT segment going forward.

First-quarter numbers were affected by lower data center spending, but with second quarter and year-over-year numbers expected to grow, the tech giant is well positioned for the future.

Intel investors are paid a solid 3.05% dividend. The $44 JPMorgan price target compares with the consensus target of $40.15. The shares closed Thursday at $35.69.

Kraft Heinz

This consumer staples stock makes sense for nervous investors. Kraft Heinz Co. (NYSE: KHC) is the third-largest food and beverage company in North America and the fifth-largest in the world, with eight $1 billion-plus brands. A globally trusted producer of delicious foods, Kraft Heinz provides high quality, great taste and nutrition for all eating occasions whether at home, in restaurants or on the go.

The company’s iconic brands include Kraft, Heinz, ABC, Capri Sun, Classico, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Maxwell House, Ore-Ida, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Planters, Plasmon, Quero, Weight Watchers Smart Ones and Velveeta.

Consumer staples are expected to continue to do well this year, and this is one of the top companies in the sector. Analysts across Wall Street are generally bullish on the potential for solid earnings continuing through 2017 and beyond. While the company’s first-quarter numbers came in slightly below most consensus estimates, overall sales were in line with forecasts. JPMorgan feels that despite the disappointing results the company posted in Canada, trends are likely to improve the rest of the year.

Shareholders are paid a 2.7% dividend. JPMorgan has set its price target at $102. The consensus target is lower at $90.29. The shares closed Thursday at $89.28, which is just above the 200-day moving average.

Philip Morris International

This company has continued to grow global market share and makes good sense for total return investors now. Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) is the world’s leading international tobacco company, with six of the world’s top 15 international brands and products sold in more than 180 markets.

In addition to the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, including Marlboro, the number one global cigarette brand, and other tobacco products, the company is also engaged in the development and commercialization of reduced-risk products (RRPs), the term it uses to refer to products with the potential to reduce individual risk and population harm in comparison to smoking cigarettes. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and industry-leading scientific substantiation, Philip Morris aims to provide an RRP portfolio that meets a broad spectrum of adult smoker preferences.

The company reported earnings slightly below estimates, but the full-year underlying guidance remains the same.

Philip Morris shareholders receive a 3.77% dividend. The JPMorgan price target is $120, and the consensus target is $117.80. Shares closed below those levels on Thursday at $111.19.

None of these stocks offer parabolic upside, but they do offer some investor safety in a very pricey and overbought market. While the rest of 2017 and farther down the road may offer some bright investment opportunity, the near-term is somewhat more cloudy, so a safe approach is probably the best.

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