5 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Trading Under $10

Last week's four-day rally, combined with an imminent earnings season could turn the coming week into a very exciting time for the market. Investors looking for the best way to play this type of unpredictable market might want to look toward stable companies trading on high volume with a dividend higher than 2%. In my opinion, liquidity and yield are paramount. Below is my evaluation of five companies that could provide a stable buffer for investors. However, sophisticated investors should note that three of these names lost money last year on an accounting basis, and thus their dividends could be unsafe. Therefore, do use my analysis only as a starting point for your own due diligence. Nokia Corporation (NOK): Stock was trading around $6 last week, which is on the lower end of the... more

Harris Corp And KLA-Tencor: Technology For Value, Growth And Yield

This is the second installment in a series covering high-quality technology stocks that possessed the two keys to long-term performance. The first key is above-average expected earnings growth, and the second key is sound valuation. When investors have the opportunity to buy exceptional growth at a reasonable price, they are offered the best possible chance for above-average long-term returns at below-average levels of risk. The foundational article in this series collaborated more on these investing principles, and others, and can be found (here). Our first article introduced 10 high-profile technology companies that appear to possess the two keys to long-term performance. We elaborated on two of these technology stalwarts, Intel Corp. (INTC) and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), two leading... more

7 Candidates With Yields As High As 11.5%

Today, we are going to examine 7 stocks, two of which are definitely speculative in nature. The speculative plays are Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc (OSG) and H&Q Life Sciences Investors Com (HQL). Before we go any further we would like to state that traders should not base their investment decision on yield alone, but examine some of the key metrics described below as they could prove to be very helpful in the selection process. It is okay to deploy some capital into riskier plays but betting the house is asking for trouble. Enterprise value is a combination of the market cap, debt, minority interests, preferred shares less total cash and cash equivalents. This provides a better picture because it is a more accurate representation of a company's value contrary to simply looking at the... more

Harleysville Savings Financial Corporation Announces Declaration of Regular Cash Dividend and Increased Earnings for the First Fiscal Quarter 2012

Harleysville Savings Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: HARL) reported today that the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $.19 per share on the Company’s common stock. The cash dividend will be payable on February 22, 2012 to stockholders of record on February 8, 2012.... more

Exxon Mobil Corporation Declares First Quarter Dividend

The Board of Directors of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) today declared a cash dividend of 47 cents per share on the Common Stock, payable on March 9, 2012 to shareholders of record of Common Stock at the close of business on February 10, 2012.... more

Avoid These 2 High-Yield Stocks -- And Own These 2 Instead

High dividend stocks can be terrific investments that provide income and growth potential, however, investors must be careful to avoid "dividend traps" -- stocks that offer enticing high yields, but lack the fundamentals to maintain their rich dividend. These companies are at risk of dividend cuts or even ending payments altogether. But when investors can find high-yielding stocks with the fundamentals to sustain -- and even grow -- their dividends, it can be one of the safest, most reliable ways to grow wealth over time. With this in mind, I've found two dividend traps I think investors should avoid and two stocks for safe, high dividends. High-Yielder to Avoid #1: Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Dividend Yield: 10% Nokia's 10% dividend may be tempting, but investors should avoid this... more

Are Dividend Stocks Safer Than Bonds?

Marc Faber, writer of the Gloom, Boom & Doom Report, recently challenged the traditional notion that government bonds are safer than stocks in an interview on Bloomberg TV:... more

5 High Yield Stocks From The S&P 500 With Lowest Debt To Equity Ratio

Many investors own stocks from the Dow Jones and the S&P 500. Both indices include 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy, capturing 75 percent coverage of U.S. equities. 19 companies from the S&P 500 have yields above 5 percent (high yield). At the first view, they give you an attractive income if the payments are sustained. Some major criteria for persistent dividends are the business cyclic, the payout ratio and the debt situation. Remember, a highly leveraged company with big payout ratio hides a huge risk for a dividend cut. In order to avoid some negative surprises in terms of dividend cuts, I screened the S&P 500 Index by stocks with a dividend yield of more than 5 percent as well as a debt to equity ratio of less than one. The debt ratio shows that the... more

10 Hottest Dividend Aristocrats

According to Standard & Poor's, the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index measures the performance of large-cap, blue-chip companies within the S&P 500 that have followed a policy of increasing dividends every year for at least 25 consecutive years. The large-cap companies in this index must also have an average daily trading volume of at least $5 Million for the six months prior to the index reference date. The index is very prestigious and popular among dividend investors, especially during the market turmoil over the past few years. Below we compiled a list of 10 S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats that had the best 52-week returns. The average 52-week return of all constitutes of the index is about 10%, versus 4.68% for SPY in the same period. And the average 52-week return of the top 10... more

After The Dividend Cut (2007-2010): Focus On Financial Firms

About three months ago, I authored an article, "After the Dividend Cut", that analyzed the total return performance of consistent dividend growth stocks that had cut their dividend between 1999 and 2006. Though the data set was limited, the results were promising, as the group averaged an annualized return of 11% through 2007 versus 6% for the S&P (SPY) over the same time period. Through 2010, the results were even better, 10% vs. 3%, however, the data set did not include many financial firms, which caused much of the S&P's decline in recent years. In this article, I examine the consistent dividend growth firms that cut their dividend between 2007-2010; the list is at the end of this article and in the graphic below. I sourced the list from David Fish's CCC list, which tracks stocks that... more