The following first appeared on Kiplinger’s as 11 Stocks to Buy That Prove Boring Is Beautiful.
Stocks aren’t all that different than cars, in some ways. Sure, the Ferrari is a lot of fun to drive, and you look cool sitting behind the wheel. But it’s also going to cost you a fortune, and high-performance cars spend a lot of time at the mechanic’s shop.
Now, compare that to a Honda Civic. You never really notice a Honda Civic on the road. It’s utterly forgettable. But it’s also just about indestructible, requires virtually no attention from you, and it quietly and efficiently does its job.
Consider that mentality when you’re tracking down stocks to buy. A highflying growth pick can be a lot of fun to own. You look smart owning it, and it’s fun to talk about at parties. But when the market’s mood swings the other way, you’re often left with some nasty losses and a bruised ego. Meanwhile, that dividend-paying value stock in your portfolio might not be particularly interesting. But over the long haul, it’s a lot less likely to give you problems. Like that Honda Civic, it will quietly do its job with no stress and no drama.
“Some of our most profitable trades over the years have been some of our most boring,” explains Chase Robertson, principal of Houston-based RIA Robertson Wealth Management. “We’ve done well for our clients by mostly avoiding the trendy sectors and focusing instead on value and income.”
Here are 11 boring but beautiful dividend stocks to buy now. They might not be much to look at, but they’re likely to get the job done over the long term. And when you need them most – in retirement – they’ll be less likely to break down on you.
AT&T
AT&T (T) has been a boring play for many years now. Even its seemingly transformative recent buyout of Time Warner (which owns HBO, Cinemax, TBS and TNT) was a drawn-out affair that got bogged down in court battles.
It seems almost silly now, but in the late 1990s and early 2000s, AT&T was a bubble stock. Investors couldn’t get enough of everything related to telecommunications, and AT&T delivered the goods. But when the bubble burst, AT&T crashed hard. Today, nearly 20 years after the peak of the internet mania, T shares still are more than 40% below their old highs.
Of course, 20 years later, AT&T is a very different company. Its mobile and home internet businesses are mature, and its paid TV business is actually shrinking, albeit slowly. AT&T is essentially a utility stock. But T belongs on any short list of boring stocks to buy now given its current pricing.
AT&T took a tumble in 2018 that brought it to its most attractive prices in recent memory. The stock has recovered somewhat, but not completely, and still offers a value at less than 10 times analysts’ expectations for future profits, and a fat dividend yield of 5.9%.
Are you going to get monster growth from AT&T? Of course not. But modest capital appreciation and high levels of income should deliver a very respectable total return.
To continue reading, please see 11 Stocks to Buy That Prove Boring Is Beautiful.