As yields jump to their highest levels in more than 16 years, investors may want to seek out stocks that receive a tailwind from climbing interest rates. The yield on the 2-year Treasury jumped to above 5.07% on Thursday, a level it hasn’t seen since June 2007 . The catalyst was a much stronger ADP jobs report than expected, which raised fears Friday’s official jobs report will come in hotter and give the Federal Reserve reason to restart its rate-hiking campaign. Stocks stumbled big time Thursday on the rate spike as most shares don’t react well to a surge in the cost of money. CNBC PRO sought to find stocks that go higher during periods of rising short-term rates. Specifically, we looked at the prior 5 months with the biggest jump in rates the last five years and which shares performed the best during those months. We then scrubbed the screen for stocks where analysts like the outlook today and anticipate a gain over the next 12 months. Here was our criteria using data from FactSet: Wins when yields rise: Median gain of at least 2% during months where the 2-year yield surged Consistent winner: Never lost more than 5% during months when rates surged Analysts like today: Consensus analyst target calls for a 5%+ gain the next 12 months Marathon Petroleum , a refinery stock paying a 2.7% dividend, tops the list. Defensive play PG & E is second as investors look to utilities for shelter in what is typically a tough environment for stocks. Several insurers also make the list as they stand to benefit from higher rates on their large fixed income portfolios. They also can charge more for their services. If we are headed for another breakout month for yields, the overall market could struggle, but these names could provide a solid return for investors.
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