Blue chip stocks are generally known for being safe investments. A blue chip company has typically been around for years, long enough that it is a household name. It has a market cap in the billions, and its stock price increases, or decreases, at a more gradual pace than growth stocks whose price can fluctuate wildly on even the smallest piece of news. Furthermore, blue chip stocks tend to offer nice healthy dividend yields.
Over the last year, however, a number of blue chip stocks have been doubling as or behaving like growth stocks. The following six stocks are all American mega cap companies, whose share prices have gained at least 20 percent over the past 365 days, and whose dividend yields are greater than 2 percent.
General Electric Co. (GE) – The energy company’s annual dividend yield is currently 3.29 percent. Shares are currently trading at $22.68, an increase of 23.73 percent over the last year.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) – The drug manufacturer’s annual dividend yield is 2.92 percent. Shares are trading at $84.03, up 34.78 percent over the last year.
Pfizer, Inc. (PFE) – The drug manufacturer’s annual dividend yield is 3.10 percent. With shares trading at $30.74, the company’s stock is up 46.43 percent over the last year.
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) – The consumer goods manufacturer has a dividend yield of 2.81 percent. Shares, currently trading at $79.10, are up 25.31 percent over the past year.
AT&T (T) – The telecom giant offers a dividend yield of 4.74 percent. Shares are trading at $37.78 for a 29.14 percent increase on the year.
Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) – The omnipresent discount retailer offers a dividend yield of 2.39 percent, while its shares have gone up 34 percent over the past year, to $78.39.
