Exxon Mobil
Despite the huge rally in oil, this mega-cap energy leader trades below levels posted in 2018 and still offers investors an excellent entry point. Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) is the world’s largest international integrated oil and gas company. It explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas in the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Africa and elsewhere.
Exxon also manufactures and markets commodity petrochemicals, including olefins, aromatics, polyethylene and polypropylene plastics, and specialty products, and it transports and sells crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products.
The company announced incredible first-quarter results, posting a massive $5.5 billion profit that was more than double the results in the same quarter last year. In addition, the energy heavyweight plans to triple is share repurchases, a huge boon for shareholders.
Exxon Mobil stock comes with a 4.11% dividend, which will continue to be well defended. BofA Securities has set its price target at $120, well above the $93.74. consensus target and Friday’s close at $85.25.
IBM
This blue-chip giant still offers investors an incredibly solid entry point. International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) is a leading provider of enterprise solutions, offering a broad portfolio of information technology (IT) hardware, business and IT services, and a full suite of software solutions. The company integrates its hardware products with its software and services offerings in order to provide high-value solutions.
The company posted very solid first-quarter results, as the cloud proved to be big, as did Red Hat, the software giant the firm bought in 2019. Red Hat’s open hybrid cloud technologies are now paired with the unmatched scale and depth of IBM’s innovation and industry expertise, and sales leadership in more than 175 countries. Analysts have cited the company’s potential in the public cloud as a reason for their positive outlook going forward.
Investors receive a 5.00% dividend. The IBM stock price target at Jefferies is $165. The $144.16 consensus target is closer to Friday’s close at $132.21.
Johnson & Johnson
With a diverse product base and a very popular and solid brand, this is among the most conservative big pharmaceutical plays, and vaccine demand could spike again. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) researches, develops, manufactures,and sells various products in the health care field worldwide.
The Consumer Health segment offers baby care products under the Johnson’s and Aveeno Baby brands; oral care products under the Listerine brand; skin health/beauty products under the Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Neutrogena and OGX brands; acetaminophen products under the Tylenol brand; cold, flu and allergy products under the Sudafed brand; allergy products under the Benadryl and Zyrtec brands; ibuprofen products under the Motrin IB brand; smoking cessation products under the Nicorette brand; and acid reflux products under the Pepcid brand. This segment also provides women’s health products, such as sanitary pads and tampons under the Stayfree, Carefree, and o.b. brands; wound care products comprising adhesive bandages under the Band-Aid brand; and first aid products under the Neosporin brand.
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