A lot of investors are chasing yields right now, and there aren't many places to boost returns. Bond yields are at historic lows, and a lot of growth companies are sitting on cash and not returning it to shareholders.
And you probably already own a decent-yielding blue chip.
So, why not look at cigarette companies?
"Tobacco stocks year-to-date have outperformed the market by 600 basis points," said Nik Modi, who covers U.S. tobacco names for UBS . "Altria, which is our top pick, has outperformed by 1300 basis points, even with the backdrop with all that's going on in the economy, with all the discussion about taxes and headwinds.
"In an environment of risk aversion, tobacco tends to do well because of their dividends."
Take a look for yourself. Altria , which reports earnings on Wednesday, has been up about 8 percent year-to-date and has a dividend yield above 6.5 percent.
Reynolds American and Phillip Morris report on Thursday and tell a similar story: Outperformance in equity markets and annual yields above the 10-year treasury. Modi also recommends Lorillard even though its stock has bucked the cigarette trend and traded down for the year.
"Let's just assume that these stocks don't move at all. You basically get a 7 percent return for the year because that's what the dividend yield for Altria is for instance," said Modi. "The market is up half that, so even without these stocks appreciating, you can still generate more than the market."
