Mad Money

Jim Cramer says these 'accidentally' high-yield stocks can 'hold up during a recession'

Jim Cramer: Stock picks to keep 'adding to your position into weakness'
VIDEO3:1703:17
Jim Cramer: Stock picks to keep 'adding to your position into weakness'

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday said, in a turbulent market, investors can start bargain hunting for high-yield stocks.

The "Mad Money" host presented a list of what he called "accidentally high yielders," or companies that pay out dividends of about 4% or higher and have good balance sheets.

The basket of stocks include UPS, Abbvie, Verizon, Wells Fargo, Dominion Energy and Qualcomm.

"These are companies that I'm picking that have healthy businesses. I believe they'll hold up during the slowdown. I believe they'll hold up during a recession," he said.

The dividends on the equities increased because their respective stocks sold off to undeserving levels, he said.

"I like them so much that if they go down more, you can just keep adding to your position into weakness," Cramer said.

The buying strategy is one that Cramer said he adopted more than a decade ago during the Great Recession. As investors weigh the impact of the current coronavirus pandemic, the market experienced its worst decline since the 1987 market crash, know as "Black Monday."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 2,352.60 points, or 9.99%, to close at 21,200.62. The index, now deep in a bear market, is nearly 30% off its record closing high of 29,551.42 a month ago. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both plunged more than 9% during the session.

Each of Cramer's high-yield stock suggestions sold off with the broader market by as low as 2% in UPS shares and as high as 15.87% in Wells Fargo shares.

Wells Fargo stock offers the highest yield of the bunch at 7.5% as of Thursday's close. That's followed by Abbvie at 6%, Dominion Energy at 5.7%, UPS at 4.69%, Verizon's 4.8% and Qualcomm's 3.7% payout.

"These stocks actually get cheaper as they go lower, and in this unforgiving market that's all you can ask for," Cramer said.

Jim Cramer says these 'accidentally' high-yield stocks can 'hold up during a recession'
VIDEO13:0513:05
Jim Cramer: Six 'accidentally' high-yield stocks can 'hold up during a recession'

Disclosure: Cramer's charitable trust owns shares of Abbvie.

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