This company has continued to grow global market share and its stock makes good sense for total return investors now. Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) is one of the largest international cigarette producers, with a share of 28% of the international cigarette/heated tobacco market. Key combustible brands include Parliament, L&M and Marlboro, also one of the most valuable brands in the world.

The company is commercializing IQOS, a heat-not-burn product, in over 40 markets, which could drive earnings in the years to come. Most on Wall Street believe the company offers superior underlying growth prospects, both near term and long term. The share price has been weak of late as investors have questioned the growth potential of its reduced-risk products, and the overall market weakness has contributed. All of its sales are outside of the United States.

Shareholders receive a 4.85% dividend. BofA Securities has set a $114 price objective. The consensus price target is $108.07, and Philip Morris International stock closed at $99.04 on Monday.

Verizon

Shares of this top telecommunications company offer tremendous value at current levels. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) is one of the largest U.S. telecom companies. It provides wireless and wireline service to retail, enterprise and wholesale customers.

The company’s wireless network serves approximately 120 million mobile connections with 115 million postpaid subscribers. Verizon’s wireline business has undergone a period of secular decline due to wireless substitution and cable competition.

Verizon acquired AOL and Yahoo to create the Oath digital content platform, which the company recently sold at a sizable loss to Apollo Global Management for $5 billion. The sale allows Verizon to offload properties from the former internet empires, though it will keep a 10% stake in the company and it will be rebranded to just Yahoo.

Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and it delivers integrated business solutions to customers worldwide.

Investors receive a 4.50% dividend. The analysts at Cowen recently lifted the price target to $68 from $66. The consensus target is $60.51, and Verizon Communications stock ended Monday’s trading session at $55.78 a share.

Get Our Free Investment Newsletter

I have read, and agree to the Terms of Use

With yields remaining at generational lows, and the prospect of them going meaningfully higher in the near term seemingly off the table, it makes sense for growth and income investors to consider these top stocks, none of which is as crowded and as overbought as most of the market is.