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Restaurant Brands International (QSR)

Burger King meal
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Restaurant Brands International came into existence in 2014 through the merger of Burger King and Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons. Then in 2017, the company added Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen to its portfolio.

Like most restaurant stocks, Restaurant Brands shares tumbled during the pandemic-induced market sell-off in early 2020. But the stock has made a strong recovery, backed by substantial improvements in the company’s business.

According to the latest earnings report, comparable sales — a key measure of a restaurant chain’s health — increased 8.9% at Tim Hortons, 7.9% at Burger King, but slipped 2.4% at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

Adjusted earnings came in at $0.76 per share for the quarter, compared to $0.68 per share it earned in the year-ago period.

Restaurant Brands is offering a healthy annual dividend yield of 3.7%. For comparison, that’s a higher yield than fast-food giants McDonald’s (2.2%), Starbucks (1.8%) and Yum! Brands (1.6%).

But if you’re finding it hard to pick individual winners in this uncertain environment, remember some investing apps will build you a passive income portfolio automatically just by using leftover change from your everyday purchases.

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Lowe’s Companies (LOW)

Lowe's store
Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

Lowe’s is Bill Ackman’s largest holding by market value, and the position has served the billionaire investor quite well. Shares of the home improvement retail giant are up 55% year-to-date, while the S&P 500 has returned just 26%.

What’s more impressive than Lowe’s short-term stock price performance is how the company’s dividend has grown over decades. In fact, Lowe’s has increased its payout to shareholders every year for the past 59 years.

Those decades of hikes have brought Lowe’s quarterly dividend to 80 cents per share, translating to an annual yield of 1.3%. That said, Lowe’s competitors are also strong dividend-paying companies: Home Depot yields 1.6%, Target pays 1.4%, while Walmart offers an annual yield of 1.5%.

Due to Lowe’s rally over the past year, its shares now trade at over $240 apiece. That’s a bit steep for some, but you can get a smaller chunk of the company using a popular app that allows you to buy fractions of shares with no fees.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings (HLT)

Hilton hotel
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Considering the dual threat of Airbnb and the COVID-19 pandemic, hotel giant Hilton may not seem like an obvious choice for many investors.

But those that kept Hilton stock in their portfolio — such as Ackman’s hedge fund — are being handsomely rewarded for their faith.

Year-to-date, shares have climbed nearly 30% and are actually trading higher than where they were before the pandemic.

“We believe that Hilton will continue to grow its market share over time given independent hotels’ increased interest in seeking an affiliation with global brands, particularly in the wake of the pandemic,” Pershing Square said in its investor letter in August.

“While the recovery may continue to be uneven, Hilton has made tremendous progress which will help it become an even more profitable and stronger business going forward.”

In the third quarter, Hilton’s system-wide comparable revenue per available room (a key statistic often shortened to RevPAR) increased 98.7% year-over-year, driven by higher occupancy and average daily rate.

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An artful alternative

Andy Warhol gallery
Sergei Bachlakov/Shutterstock

Of course, it’s no sure thing that the omicron variant will turn out mild and that the stock market will start surging once again.

If you want to invest in something that has little correlation with the ups and downs of the stock market, consider this real but overlooked asset: fine art.

Wall Street mogul Steve Cohen’s investment in this asset class is valued at over $1 billion. It’s also found in the portfolios of Kevin O’Leary, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.

Why? Contemporary artwork has outperformed the S&P 500 by a commanding 174% over the past 25 years, according to the Citi Global Art Market chart.

It’s true that investing in art by the likes of Banksy and Andy Warhol used to be an option only for the ultra-rich. But with a new investing platform, you can invest in iconic artworks, too.

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The content provided on Moneywise is information to help users become financially literate. It is neither tax nor legal advice, is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, either express or implied, with respect to the data provided, the timeliness thereof, the results to be obtained by the use thereof or any other matter.