As of December 26, 2021, Bloomin’ Brands owned and operated 1,013 full-service restaurants and franchised 157 restaurants across 47 states, as well as 156 full-service restaurants and 172 franchised restaurants across 17 countries and Guam.
Investors receive a 2.37% dividend. Jefferies has set its target price at $36, well above the $27.00 consensus target. Bloomin’ Brands stock closed at $23.65 on Monday.
Caterpillar
This large cap leader is a solid idea for growth and income investors who are more conservative. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) is the world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of construction equipment, and it is also a leading manufacturer of diesel engines and turbines for transport and industrial applications.
Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company principally operates through its three primary segments (Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation) and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment.
Caterpillar stock comes with a 1.81% dividend. The $295 Jefferies price target is well above the $261.50 consensus target and the most recent close at $242.09.
TE Connectivity
This somewhat lesser-known stock is also another top pick at Jefferies. TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) manufactures and sells connectivity and sensor solutions to approximately 140 countries in Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Americas and elsewhere. The company operates through three segments.
The Transportation Solutions segment provides terminals and connector systems and components, sensors, relays, antennas and application tooling products for use in the automotive, commercial transportation and sensor markets.
The Industrial Solutions segment offers terminals and connector systems and components. Its products include interventional medical components, relays, heat shrink tubing and wires and cables for industrial equipment, aerospace, defense, marine, medical and energy markets.
The Communications Solutions segment supplies electronic components (such as terminals and connector systems and components), relays, heat shrink tubing and antennas for the data and devices and appliances markets.
Shareholders receive a 1.79% dividend. TE Connectivity stock has a $154 price target at Jefferies. The consensus target is $135.21, and Monday’s closing share price was $125.50.
None of these stocks is likely to make any massive, parabolic moves higher soon. They are safer ideas for nervous investors concerned about the potential for inflation to wreak havoc on the economy for the rest of the year. The January rally has been a pleasant surprise for beleaguered stock market investors, but earnings are dropping, inventories are bloated and inflation, until proven otherwise, is still near the highest in 40 years. So, buying partial positions now with earnings still rolling in makes sense. Nobody ever went broke playing it safe in times of stress.
Originally published at 24/7 Wall St.
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