Defensive investors like investing in high dividend stocks as such stocks can protect them from inflationary risks. We are concerned about the Fed’s inflationary monetary policy and therefore we recommend investors to play defensively by purchasing stocks with high dividend yields.
Below we compiled a list of high dividend stocks with the highest dividend yields in their sectors. All companies have at least $10 billion market cap and over 4% dividend yield, and are among the top two in their sectors in terms of dividend yields. The market data is sourced from Finviz.
Here are the eight stocks with the highest yields in their sectors.
YPF S.A. (YPF): YPF SA is an Argentinean integrated oil and gas company. YPF has a dividend yield of 9.45% and lost 25.72% since the beginning of this year. It has a market cap of $14.1B and a P/E ratio of 11.03. Eric Mindich had $440 million of YPF shares. Rob Citrone, Philippe Jabre, and Jeffery Altman also all invested about $50 million in YPF.
Altria Group Inc. (MO): Altria Group is the biggest cigarettes manufacturer in the world. MO has a dividend yield of 5.93% and returned 17.46% since the beginning of this year. It has a market cap of $56.9B and a P/E ratio of 16.56. Tom Russo had $187 million invested in MO shares.
Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NLY): Annaly Capital Management owns, manages and finances a portfolio of real estate related investments. NLY has a dividend yield of 14.51% and returned 2.61% since the beginning of this year. It has a market cap of $16.0B and a P/E ratio of 8.61. Bill Miller invested $66 million in NLY shares.
AstraZeneca PLC (AZN): AstraZeneca is a global biopharmaceutical company. AZN has a dividend yield of 5.78% and returned 6.96% since the beginning of this year. It has a market cap of $61.5B and a P/E ratio of 6.4. Renaissance Technologies and David Dreman both had over $20 million of AZN.
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT): Lockheed Martin Corporation is a security company engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems and products. LMT has a dividend yield of 5.10% and gained 15.47% since the beginning of this year. It has a market cap of $25.4B and a P/E ratio of 9.84. Jean-Marie Eveillard had $278 million LMT stocks.
Paychex Inc. (PAYX): Paychex provides payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small to medium-sized businesses. PAYX has a dividend yield of 4.33% and lost 0.37% since the beginning of this year. It has a market cap of $10.7B and a P/E ratio of 20.12. David Blood, Miguel Nogales, and Al Gore had $90 million invested in PAYX.
France Telecom (FTE): France Telecom SA is a France-based telecommunications operator. FTE has a dividend yield of 10.97% and lost 7.34% since the beginning of this year. It has a market cap of $46.8B and a P/E ratio of 11.12. Steven Cohen had $223,000 invested in FTE.
Cia Energetica de Minas Gerais (CIG): CIG is a Brazil-based holding company mainly engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. CIG has a dividend yield of 6.51% and returned 9.55% since the beginning of this year. It has a market cap of $11.7B.
