10 High Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Lee Cooperman

In this article, we discuss the 10 high dividend stocks to buy according to billionaire Lee Cooperman. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of these stocks, go directly to the 5 High Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Lee Cooperman

Leon “Lee” Cooperman, the billionaire chief of Omega Advisors, is slowly reducing his positions in the stock market. In an interview to news platform CNBC, Cooperman revealed that he had gone from a “from a fully invested bear to a heavily invested bear”. The investor, whose personal net worth is around $2.5 billion, has made a name for himself in the finance world through long-term bets on value stocks, a strategy that has provided him with record returns. Omega Advisors shut down in 2018 and now operates as a family office. 

In September, as the economy was on a downward trend due to inflation concerns, Cooperman had stressed that the conditions for a large-scale decline in the market were not present. The billionaire said that it would take a recession, an unprecedented hike in interest rates from the Federal Reserve, or a significant geopolitical event that led to a decline in the US dollar to bring the market down from recovery mode. It would appear that at least one of these conditions might soon come true, as analysts expect interest rates to rise in 2022.  

The storied career of Cooperman is well-known on Wall Street. He rose from a working-class New York household to the manager of one of the most successful hedge funds in the world over three decades. The investor worked for many years at Goldman Sachs, one of the premier investment banks in the world, before retiring to open his hedge fund in 1991. The top holdings of the fund are presently concentrated in the services, healthcare, and basic materials sectors. The top ten stocks in value comprise over 56% of the total portfolio.

Those who want to replicate the incredible success of Cooperman at the market should check out the latest activity of his hedge fund. Some of the top stocks in the investment portfolio of Omega Advisors at the end of the third quarter of 2021 included Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), among others discussed in detail below. The fund had a portfolio value of over $1.8 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2021. 

Our Methodology

These were picked from the investment portfolio of Omega Advisors at the end of the third quarter of 2021. Companies that have dividend yields of 3% or more were preferred for the list.

The hedge fund sentiment around each stock was calculated using the data of 867 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey. 

10 High Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Lee Cooperman

Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors

High Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Lee Cooperman

10. Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 23   

Forward Dividend Yield: 3.64%    

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) is a real estate investment trust that focuses on the purchase and management of healthcare properties. Citi analyst Nicholas Joseph recently upgraded the stock to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $63. 

The hedge fund of Lee Cooperman entered the fourth quarter of 2021 with 1,342 shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) in the portfolio worth around $74,000. 

At the end of the third quarter of 2021, 23 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $464 million in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR), compared to 25 the preceding quarter worth $562 million.

Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, New York-based firm Zimmer Partners is a leading shareholder in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) with 3.6 million shares worth more than $203 million. 

Just like Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) is one of the stocks attracting the attention of value investors. 

In its Q3 2020 investor letter, Nelson Roberts Investment Advisors, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“We trimmed our position in Ventas (NYSE: VTR), reversing a strategic tax loss purchase in taxable accounts. However, we retained a small holding, as Ventas is well-positioned over the long term to benefit from an aging baby boom population.”

9. Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 29

Forward Dividend Yield: 7.31%  

Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) is an oil and gas storage and transportation company. Omega Advisors, as of the end of September, had over 7 million shares of the company worth $67 million in the portfolio. 

In early December, Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) announced that it had completed a previously announced merger with Enable Midstream Partners in a deal worth more than $7.2 billion. The combined firm is expected to generate $100 million annual cost efficiencies. 

Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Washington-based firm Appaloosa Management LP is a leading shareholder in Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) with 10 million shares worth more than $96 million. 

At the end of the third quarter of 2021, 29 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $727 million in Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET), the same as in the preceding quarter worth $835 million.

In its Q1 2021 investor letter, Miller/Howard Investments highlighted a few stocks and Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“Another upweight was Energy Transfer (ET), which was selling at a discount on EV/ EBITDA compared with the portfolio and had an attractive +20% FCF yield. Further, ET’s ample FCF should exceed the current distribution even if the Dakota Access Pipeline were to be shut down.”

8. Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 11

Forward Dividend Yield: 8.29%  

In the filings for the third quarter, the fund detailed that it owned 733,439 shares of Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) worth $8 million, representing 0.42% of the portfolio. Barings is an investment firm headquartered in North Carolina. 

In October, investment advisory Oppenheimer initiated coverage of Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) stock with an Outperform rating and a price target of $12. Analyst Mitchel Penn issued the ratings update. 

Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Boston-based firm Callodine Capital Management is a leading shareholder in Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC) with 650,000 shares worth more than $7.1 million. 

At the end of the third quarter of 2021, 11 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $46 million in Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE:BBDC), compared to 15 in the preceding quarter worth $62 million.

7. Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 13

Forward Dividend Yield: 8.44%  

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR) is a real estate investment trust with a diverse portfolio of assets. The firm has registered nine consecutive years of dividend increases and recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share.

Latest filings show that Omega Advisors is long on more than 2.2 million shares in Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR) worth $42 million, representing 2.22% of the portfolio.  

At the end of the third quarter of 2021, 13 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $68 million in Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR), compared to 18 in the previous quarter worth $109 million.

Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, New York-based firm DE Shaw is a leading shareholder in Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR) with 427,703 shares worth more than $7.9 million. 

6. Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 25

Forward Dividend Yield: 8.55%   

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) provides energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas and oil. According to latest 13F data, the fund holds a stake in the firm worth more than $10.8 million, consisting of 500,000 shares. 

In October, Mizuho analyst Gabriel Moreen raised the price target on Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) stock to $29 from $28 and kept a Buy rating, noting the firm would benefit from the increase in global energy prices. 

At the end of the third quarter of 2021, 25 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $233 million in Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD), compared to 28 in the previous quarter worth $246 million.

Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, New York-based firm First Eagle Investment Management is a leading shareholder in Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) with 2.8 million shares worth more than $61 million. 

In addition to Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) is one of the stocks that hedge funds are buying. 

In its Q1 2021 investor letter, ClearBridge Investments, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“While reducing in health care and consumer staples, we increased our exposure to high-quality names in economically sensitive areas of the market. We added to low-cost, high-quality energy names (including) Enterprise Products Partners LP. We are positive on this company’s strong balance sheets, competitive positions and exposure to an economic recovery.”

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Disclosure. None. 10 High Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Lee Cooperman is originally published on Insider Monkey.