We Are in a Recession: These 7 Dividend Aristocrats Are the Best Second-Half Ideas

Aflac

This insurance stock has been clobbered and offers an awesome entry point. Aflac Inc. (NYSE: AFL), known for its famous duck commercials, provides supplemental health and life insurance products.

The company’s Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care income support, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.

The Aflac U.S. segment provides cancer, accident, short-term disability, critical illness, hospital indemnity, dental, vision, long-term care and disability and term and whole life insurance products in the United States. It sells its products through sales associates, brokers, independent corporate agencies, individual agencies and affiliated corporate agencies.

Shareholders receive a 2.84% dividend. Piper Sandler’s target price for Aflac stock is $72. The consensus target is $61.92, and shares closed last Friday at $56.24

Cardinal Health

This is a solid way for growth and income investors who are more conservative to play the health care sector. Cardinal Health Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is one of the largest drug and medical product distributors. The company generates approximately two-thirds of its profit from the pharmaceutical business and nearly one-third from its medical business.

The pharmaceutical distribution business supports retail/mail/hospital/physician clients, as well as drug manufacturers. The medical business manufactures its own portfolio of medical products and distributes brand-name products to hospitals and physicians.

Cardinal Health stock comes with a 3.79% dividend. Morgan Stanley recently upgraded the shares to Overweight. Its $74 price objective compares with the $60.54 consensus target and the most recent close at $53.10.

Essex Property Trust

This stock has been hammered, but it is an outstanding way for investors looking to add an inflation-busting real estate position to growth and income portfolios. Essex Property Trust Inc. (NYSE: ESS) is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops and manages apartment communities in selected West Coast markets.

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