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Further Reading from MarketBeat
3 Quiet Outperformers Boosting Dividends as Markets RetreatSubmitted by Leo Miller. Article Published: 4/6/2026. 
Key Points
- Elevated volatility has seen the S&P 500 lose around 5% from its highs, while the ongoing tech selloff has seen the sector fall around 10%.
- However, across food and retail, three inconspicuous names are providing significant gains to investors as risk-on assets continue to lag.
- These stocks are also substantially increasing their dividends, and two are engaging in considerable buyback spending, which comes as a vote of confidence for investors.
- Special Report: Elon Musk’s $1 Quadrillion AI IPO
While the broader market—and tech stocks in particular—have cooled recently, three under-the-radar names are outperforming the major indices. Each is showing solid business improvement, and investors are taking notice. At the same time, these companies are making income investors happier by materially boosting their dividends. That mix of share appreciation plus higher yields makes all three attractive candidates for portfolios seeking some ballast against further weakness in the S&P 500 and NASDAQ. Smithfield Foods Announces Massive Dividend Boost, Yield Well Above 4%
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Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ: SFD) is a major producer of meat products and livestock, with a focus on pork and hogs. The company went public in early 2025 and has performed strongly since, with shares up roughly 40% from their IPO price of $20. Including dividends, the stock’s total return since the IPO is near 50%, well ahead of the S&P 500’s roughly 11% return over the same period. The stock rallied sharply in late March into early April, gaining about 20% over roughly two trading weeks after the company reported Q4 2025 earnings. Smithfield beat analyst expectations on sales and significantly exceeded estimates for adjusted earnings per share (EPS). Management’s guidance points to another solid year. While the company expects sales growth to moderate, it forecasts continued margin expansion driven by a shift toward higher-margin, value-added products and operational improvements. Smithfield also announced a substantial 25% dividend increase, raising its quarterly payment to $0.3125 and the annual payout to $1.25 per share. The company expects to pay the next quarterly dividend on April 21 to shareholders of record as of April 7. That yields an indicated dividend of approximately 4.4%. TJX Companies Issues 13% Dividend Increase as Store Expansion ContinuesTJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) is a leading off-price retailer known for chains like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods. This partially defensive stock has performed well over the last 52 weeks, delivering a total return near 30%. While the S&P 500 is down in 2026, TJX shares are up roughly 5% year to date. Sales rose 7% year over year in 2025, accelerating from the 4% growth posted in 2024. The company plans to open 146 new stores in fiscal 2027 (calendar 2026), underscoring management’s confidence in continued demand. TJX said it will return more capital to shareholders with a 13% dividend increase, raising the quarterly payout to $0.48. That pushes the stock’s indicated yield to about 1.2%, slightly above the S&P 500’s ~1.1% yield. The next quarterly dividend is slated for June 4 to shareholders of record on May 14. The company also plans $2.5 billion to $2.75 billion in share repurchases for 2026. At the midpoint, that would be just under 1.5% of an approximate $180 billion market capitalization, which should modestly boost metrics like adjusted EPS. Signet: Shares, Buybacks, and Dividends Are on the RiseThe world’s largest diamond jewelry retailer, Signet Jewelers (NYSE: SIG), operates brands including Kay Jewelers, Zales and Jared. The stock has been a standout over the past year, gaining about 40%. Shares jumped nearly 14% after the company’s Q4 fiscal 2026 earnings report. Signet reported $2.35 billion in sales, in line with expectations, and beat on adjusted EPS of $6.25. Free cash flow grew about 20% for the year—the company’s strongest FCF growth since 2021 and well above the 4% seen in 2024. Management supported the equity aggressively in 2025, repurchasing 7% of shares through $205 million of buybacks—an almost 50% year-over-year increase. The company still has $518 million of remaining buyback capacity, giving it room to continue repurchasing shares. In its earnings commentary, management said it believes “shares remain attractive,” a view reinforced by a recent increase to the dividend. Signet announced a more than 9% dividend increase, raising the quarterly payout to $0.35 per share and moving the indicated yield to just under 1.7%. Despite some variability in results, Signet has consistently raised its dividend in recent years: since fiscal 2022 (roughly calendar 2021), the payout has grown at an approximate compound annual rate of 21%. Analysts Eye Further Upside in SIGAmong these three names, Wall Street appears most bullish on Signet. The MarketBeat consensus price target of $112 implies more than 25% upside. Individual analyst price targets updated after the company’s latest report sit slightly lower, around $107. It’s worth noting, however, that Signet has more limited analyst coverage than many large-cap stocks, which makes price-target averages a less robust signal. |
