19 big stocks defy market sell-off with big gains

Not everyone is getting pummeled by the market’s sell-off. Investors in some rather unexciting corners of the market are getting some pretty exciting gains.

There are 19 stocks in the Standard & Poor’s 500 that are flourishing, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Each of these stocks is up for the year, a notable feat given that the S&P 500 is down nearly 11% in this dismal start to 2016. On top of their year-to-date gains, each of these stocks have been rising amid the ongoing turmoil that started last year. All 19 of these stocks are less than 4% away from their highest levels the past 52 weeks.

Finding gains in this stock market is getting increasingly difficult. The S&P 500 is down 14.5% from its high notched last May — and has been struggling to find its footing since. But these 19 stocks are up an average of 21% from that same point when the market tapped out.

Investors have been following a tried-and-true playbook when seeking ways to profit amid a market sell-off: focusing on sure things. Companies that sell goods consumers need in good times and bad and utilities have been on a winning strategy. Nearly half of the 19 stocks that are scoring are in the consumer staples industry. That’s followed by a third that are in utilities. It’s easy to understand why. Take Tyson Foods. Not only are shares up 13% this year, but they hit a 52-week high this week. The company has been churning out steady revenue growth every year since 2009. Revenue is expected to fall 10% this fiscal year, but analysts are still calling for the company’s adjusted profit to rise 27%, S&P Global Market Intelligence says.

It’s tough to beat utilities during times of market distress. Sometimes it takes a market downtown to appreciate these investments. Consolidated Edison, which serves the New York area, is up 18% this year — and that’s not including its market-beating 3.6% dividend yield.

There’s something mmm, mmm good about packaged food companies, too, during periods of economic uncertainty. Campbell Soup has been working to make its products more competitive in an age of grass-fed organic beef and build-to-order cuisine.

Shares of Campbell are up 9% this year and are up 22% from last year’s market high. The company pays a 2.2% dividend.

If you own hot tech stocks — or most stocks for that matter — you’re feeling the pain.

But lately, it’s paying to hunker down with defensive stocks that know how to churn out gains no matter what the economy is doing.