It’s the ultimate day of 2025. As I write this pre-market, the S&P 500 is up 17.3% and on observe to ebook its third consecutive yr of optimistic annual returns.
Yesterday, I learn in Bloomberg that each one 21 analysts it surveyed consider the index will probably be up in 2026, delivering a fourth consecutive yr of beneficial properties. It additionally famous that for the reason that index’s October 2022 low, it has risen 90%.
When analysts are this optimistic, I get involved. Whereas analysts are typically bullish, this stage of settlement is uncommon. What might presumably go fallacious?
The “Canines of the Dow” technique, which selects the ten highest-yielding shares from the Dow Jones Industrial Common in the beginning of every yr, was up 17.8% via Dec. 26.
On Wednesdays, I usually talk about a inventory or shares which have hit a brand new 52-week excessive or low within the prior day’s buying and selling.
To complete out the yr, I assumed I’d take a web page out of the Canines of the Dow technique, utilizing new 52-week lows as my guiding standards for selecting winners in 2026.
In 2025, 105 shares had no less than 30 new 52-week lows and a market cap of over $1 billion. Of these, 30 have dividend yields of two.75% or larger.
Listed here are the 5 highest-yielding shares to purchase for 2026 primarily based on the factors above.
Pleased New Yr!
Alexandra Actual Property Equities (ARE) has hit 35 new 52-week lows prior to now 12 months. Its inventory yields 10.7%.
The REIT (actual property funding belief) focuses on workplace and lab area for the life sciences, agtech, and expertise industries in U.S. cities akin to Boston, San Francisco, and San Diego. As of Sept. 30, it had 39.2 million sq. toes of leasable area.
A lot of its tenants are biotech corporations. The trade is within the fifth yr of a downturn post-COVID. In consequence, it’s disposing of non-core actual property outdoors its main megacampuses. That won’t solely strengthen its steadiness sheet however allow it to deal with fewer, higher-quality belongings.
ARE inventory is down 49% in 2025.
Flowers Meals (FLO) has hit 68 new 52-week lows prior to now 12 months. Its inventory yields 9.1%.
The Georgia-based maker of baked items has finished so since 1919. Right now, its manufacturers embody Nature’s Personal, Dave’s Killer Bread, Marvel, and Tastykake. Its 10,200 staff function 44 bakeries throughout 19 states. In 2024, its gross sales have been $5.1 billion.
That’s the excellent news. The dangerous information is that natural gross sales are shrinking. Excluding its $800 million Easy Mills acquisition earlier this yr, 2025 gross sales ought to decline by practically 1% to $5.06 billion.
Its shares are down 66% since hitting an all-time excessive of $30.16 in November 2022. Whereas I’m not anticipating miracles, the inventory seems oversold.
Robert Half (RHI) has hit 52 new 52-week lows prior to now 12 months. Its inventory yields 8.6%.
The California-based staffing enterprise has been round for 77 years. It is aware of a factor or two about discovering and hiring workers. Sadly, with the unemployment charge hitting a four-year excessive of 4.6% in November, the variety of corporations hiring and the variety of folks on the lookout for work are falling.
When employment hiring is frozen, because it seems at this time, it’s exhausting for Robert Half to generate income. In Q3 2025, it earned $43.0 million on $1.35 billion in income, a 3.2% internet margin. The web margin for the trailing 12 months ended Sept. 30 was 2.8%, the bottom margin prior to now decade.
Its share worth can’t keep this low indefinitely. Down 61% in 2025, a rebound is within the playing cards.
Alight (ALIT) has hit 52 new 52-week lows prior to now 12 months. Its inventory yields 8.1%.
The corporate administers worker advantages and offers payroll and monetary wellness providers for greater than 35 million staff at main corporations via its Alight Worklife platform.
In a lot the identical approach, corporations aren’t keen to rent, and the financial uncertainty of tariffs and different headwinds has companies hoarding their money for AI-related investments. When company budgets are tight, discovering new purchasers and boosting income from present purchasers is nearly unimaginable.
The corporate has successfully pivoted to AI initiatives that won’t solely enhance Alight’s effectivity but in addition its purchasers’ effectivity.
With $243 million in free money circulation within the trailing 12 months ended Sept. 30, it has a free money circulation yield of 8.2%. Something above 8% is worth territory.
Conagra Manufacturers (CAG) has hit 40 new 52-week lows prior to now 12 months. Its inventory yields 8.0%.
In September, earlier than it reported its Q3 2025 outcomes on Oct. 1, I contemplated whether or not Conagra inventory was a worth play or a price lure. I wasn’t too enthusiastic, stating, “You in all probability will not get wealthy off proudly owning Conagra inventory until one thing drastically optimistic occurs within the subsequent 3-5 years,” I wrote on Sept. 24.
On the time, its shares have been buying and selling round $18.30. Three months later, CAG inventory is under $17.45. The Barchart Technical Opinion is a Robust Promote. As I recommended in September, doing a Married Put — you purchase 100 shares of CAG and one ATM (at-the-money) put on the similar time — protects your draw back whereas getting in at a share worth that’s over 50% decrease than two years in the past.
Americold Realty Belief (COLD) has hit 47 new 52-week lows prior to now 12 months. Its inventory yields 6.9%.
As not too long ago as April 2021, the proprietor of temperature-controlled warehouses’ share worth traded above $40. They’re now under the January 2018 IPO worth of $16. On the time, it had $1.54 billion in income and $255 million in EBITDA (earnings earlier than curiosity, taxes, depreciation and amortization); at this time, its trailing 12-month income is $2.61 billion, with $546 million in EBITDA.
Whereas revenues and EBITDA have elevated by 69% and 114%, respectively, over the previous eight years, its share worth has declined. What offers? Its internet debt has greater than doubled to $4.1 billion. That’s 6.7 occasions its 12-month EBITDA via Q3 2025.
The low share worth has attracted the eye of activist investor Ancora Group Holdings. It’s pushing Americold to promote its European operations to deal with North America. On Dec. 22, Americold introduced two Ancora-picked administrators would be a part of the board.
Personal fairness corporations have approached the corporate about shopping for the European operations, which sources say are value $1.5 billion.
On the very least, its shares need to be value $16, its IPO worth.
This final one is a particular addition. You’ll notice that Buckle (BKE) has hit 32 new 52-week lows over the previous 12 months, however its inventory yields solely 2.6%, under my 2.75% cutoff.
I’ve adopted the Nebraska-based retailer for a few years. It received’t be confused for Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) or Aritzia (ATZAF), two high-flying retail progress shares. Its annual outcomes are comparatively predictable with same-store gross sales progress between 2% and 5% most quarters.
On Dec. 9, Buckle introduced a $3.00 per share particular money dividend to be paid to shareholders of report on the shut of enterprise on January 15, 2026. That’s along with the $0.35 quarterly dividend it has paid since December 2021. Because the starting of 2021, Buckle has paid particular dividends of $5.65, $2.65, $2.50, $2.50, and $ 3.00 per share.
Together with the $3.00 particular dividend in January, the corporate can pay $4.40 per share in dividends in 2026. At a share worth of $53.76 as I write this, it yields 8.2%.
It’s the present that retains on giving.
On the date of publication, Will Ashworth didn’t have (both straight or not directly) positions in any of the securities talked about on this article. All info and information on this article is solely for informational functions. This text was initially printed on Barchart.com
