McKesson Declares Quarterly Dividend January 25, 2012

The Board of Directors of McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK) at its meeting today declared a regular dividend of twenty cents per share on Common Stock, payable on April 2, 2012, to stockholders of record on March 1, 2012.... more

National Penn Bancshares, Inc. Increases Cash Dividend

The Board of Directors of National Penn Bancshares, Inc. (NPBC) has declared an increased first quarter cash dividend of five cents per share payable to shareholders of record as of February 4, 2012. The cash dividend will be paid February 17, 2012.... more

This REIT's Dividend Is Safe... for Now

These days, there's nothing investors love more than a big, fat dividend.
Perhaps no sector offers up larger dividends than real estate investment trusts. In order to maintain a tax-exempt status, these companies have to pay out at least 90% of their reported income in the form of dividends.
And perhaps no REIT is more widely followed or adored in Fooldom than Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY) . Recently, fellow Fool John Maxfield (of whom I'm a big fan) has been poking holes in the company's ability to continue paying outsized dividends.
I intend to show that, over the next year or two, these holes aren't much to worry about.
The size of Annaly's yield... more

3 Diverse Ideas For A 4%-Plus Dividend Yield

Below are 3 ideas for boosting the dividend yield on your portfolio without taking excessive risk. They are diversified across size of company and sector, though they are skewed more toward the U.S. economy than internationally:
Company Ticker P/E P/B Yield Payout Ratio Market Cap
Cinemark Holdings CNK 15.13x 2.22 4.21% 64% $2.3B
Medallion Leasing TAXI 10.86x 1.14 6.76% 73% 0.2B
ConocoPhillips COP 9.05x 1.51 3.74% 33% $94B
... more

Tupperware's Dividend X-Ray

Not all dividends are created equal. Here, we'll do a top-to-bottom analysis of a given company to understand the quality of its dividend and how that's changed over the past five years.
The company we're looking at today is Tupperware (NYSE: TUP) , which yields 2%.
DividendTo evaluate the quality of a dividend, the first thing to consider is whether the company has paid a dividend consistently over the past five years, and, if so, how much has it grown.
Tupperware Brands Corporation Dividend Chart by YCharts
Tupperware has raised its dividend twice in the past five years to where it now sits at $0.30 per quarter.
Immediate safetyTo understand how safe a dividend is, we use three crucial tools, the first of which is:... more

Thoughts For The Dividend Investor: Importance Of An Economic Moat

In reading the news last week of Eastman Kodak (EKDKQ.PK) filing for bankruptcy, I was reminded of the importance of an economic moat. For newer investors, economic moat is a term that Warren Buffett made famous that describes a company's competitive advantage. For nearly a hundred years, Kodak was the preeminent photography company in the United States. Some can argue that other companies made better cameras, lenses, or film, but no company was better at bringing photography to the masses. Its developing process, associated patents, and distribution centers provided an unparalleled model for dominating an industry. As a result of its dominance, Kodak paid shareholders handsomely with consistent dividends for more than forty years. Ironically, it was one of Kodak's own patents that became... more

Standex Declares 190th Quarterly Cash Dividend

Standex International Corporation (NYSE: SXI) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.07 per share, which is payable February 25, 2012 to shareholders of record February 6, 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

Dividends And Returns On Equity

The following chart shows the returns on average equity for two companies over a decade. Returns on Average Equity Each company begins in the same spot, yet one begins an inexorable decline while the other maintains enviable performance. High and sustainable returns on equity are desirable and are one indicator of a business with a competitive advantage, so most investors would prefer to invest in Company A. Now what if I told you that this is the same company, but with two different dividend policies? In Scenario A the company paid out nearly all of its net income each year, while in Scenario B it retained this as cash earning 4% pre-tax. Would this affect your desire for Company A over Company B? On the one hand, by retaining cash at a very low reinvestment rate Company B’s returns... more

Active Dividend Growth Investing

My strategy relates to buying quality dividend stocks which fit my criteria, then sit back and hold on until one of these three events happens. However, there are other ways for investors to actively generate income from dividend paying stocks. Although they are mostly for sophisticated investors, everyone should be aware of them. One such strategy is active dividend investing. This relates to selling a stock when its current yield drops below a certain threshold. For example, back in 2009, investors could have purchased shares of Aflac (AFL) at $20 or less per share. As a result they would be earning a yield on cost of 6%. However, given the steep run up in the share price since then, the current yield is 2.80%. The question that some investors ask themselves is whether it makes sense to... more