Top Dividend Stocks Of 2011, 1Q Update

Back at the end of 2010, several investment bloggers invited me to a stock picking competition. Each one had to select four stock picks which they expect to perform well in 2011. The four picks that I selected were all dividend growth stocks. The companies I selected include Philip Morris International (PM), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Procter & Gamble (PG) and PepsiCo (PEP). You could read the reasoning behind selecting these stocks in this article. Below you could find a brief overview of each of the four stock picks: Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. The company generates all of its revenues outside the US, which shields it from potential negative legislation here. In addition, by focusing on the growth in emerging economies, it could achieve high earnings and dividend growth, while paying an above average dividend to investors. While the EU market is mature like the US one, the positive for PMI is that it has a growth kick. If you add in strategic acquisitions and cost initiatives, there is no wonder investors increasingly favor PMI over Altria Group (MO). (analysis) Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) engages in the research and development, manufacture, and sale of various products in the health care field worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Consumer, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Devices and Diagnostics. The company has a diversified product line across medical devices, consumer products and drugs, which should serve it well in the future. In addition ot that Johnson & Johnson is expanding into new long term opportunities such as vaccines business of Crucell NV. As usual growth in emerging markets and opportunities for cost restructurings should further help the company in squeezing out extra profits in the long run.123... Read more