Finding the Perfect Dividend Stock

If we were able to design the perfect dividend stock it would be one that is both high-yield and provide a high dividend growth rate. Its share price would appreciate along with its increasing dividend. All of this would be driven by increasing earnings and cash flow. Ok, so much for our Utopian world, the perfect dividend stock just may be a balanced compromise. Consider the following:High Yield/Low Dividend Growth When investors first consider investing for income, High Yield is usually their first focus. It is human nature to want it now and want a lot of it. Unfortunately, high yield stocks often carry higher than average risk – there is usually a reason that the stock's yield is above average. It could be because the company is in a limited growth industry, is in a volatile... more

Top 3 Dividend Stocks in Latin America

It is a great time to invest in Latin America, because unlike the emerging economies in Asia, Latin American nations lack ethnic and religious strife and fuel their economic growth with their domestically available natural resources. In addition to growth stocks such as Petrobras, Vale, and Mercadolibre, Latin America offers some value in dividend income through these high yielding stocks. Ambev (ABV)- Ambev is the leading beverage company in Latin America and a subsiadary of Anhauser Busch Inbev. It sells Brazil's top two brands of beer along with Pepsi (PEP) products across South America. Out of all the companies on this list, Ambev has the strongest financial condition with a 0.27 debt/equity ratio, and ROIC of 25.71%, and a 31% profit margin. Ambev also pays a high, but irregular... more

Aqua America Announces a 6.5 Percent Cash Dividend Increase Payable December 1, 2011

Aqua America’s (NYSE: WTR) Board of Directors today declared a dividend increase of $0.01 per share from $0.155 per share to $0.165 per share for the December 1, 2011 quarterly dividend, to all shareholders of record on November 17, 2011. This represents a 6.5 percent increase to the quarterly dividend. This increase is equivalent to $0.04 above the company’s current annualized dividend rate of $0.62 to $0.66.... more

Emerson Declares Dividend

The board of directors of Emerson (NYSE: EMR) today declared the regular quarterly cash dividend of thirty-four and a half cents ($0.345) per share of common stock payable September 9, 2011, to stockholders of record August 12, 2011.... more

Debt Ceiling Resolved, Credit Downgrade Looming: 6 Undervalued Dividend Picks

The US debt ceiling crisis looks to be nearly resolved, but the next big concern for some investors is whether a downgrade of the AAA credit rating will follow. A Credit Suisse analyst and many others also believe there is a strong chance the US will lose it's AAA credit rating regardless of how the debt ceiling is raised. However, the Credit Suisse report also states that even if the US credit rating is downgraded: “We doubt it will have much effect," he continued. "Japan has a 1.1 percent yield and an AA- rating, many US Treasury funds do not have credit-rating limitations and national bank regulators would probably keep risk weightings for US sovereign debt at zero.” Read more details on the Credit Suisse report here. The media has worked this debt ceiling and downgrade issue into... more

15 Low-Debt Dividend Stocks With Impressive Profitability

Company debt is always important to keep in mind when evaluating stocks because debt is a wedge between firm value and the firm’s value to shareholders. When company debt reaches high levels, it diverts money away from shareholders (away from dividends) and towards higher interest payments. Therefore high debt can threaten a company’s dividend yield.We ran a screen on dividend stocks (paying dividend yields above 2% and sustainable payout ratios below 35%) with low debt (most recent quarter total debt to assets below 0.2). We screened this universe for companies that have beaten their industry peers on trailing-twelve-month gross, operating, and pretax margins. Interactive Chart: Press Play to compare changes in analyst ratings over the last two years for the top six stocks mentioned... more

8 MLPs Recently Announced Higher Dividends

Income investors can appreciate the good news when their Master Limited Partnerships (MLP's) are increasing their future quarterly dividends. A rising income stream is the goal of most income investors. Here are eight MLP's with recently announced increasing dividends. Atlas Pipeline Partners LP (APL) Atlas Pipeline Partners is a midstream company providing reliable gas gathering, compression, processing services. The MLP owns 8,600 miles of gas pipeline assets in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Tennessee. Stock Price: $34.45 Current Yield: 5.5% Dividend Increase from Prior Quarter: 17% The dividend yield is a solid 5.5%. I remain positive on APL as the prior quarter dividend was 40-cents. APL's balance sheet remains pristine in the MLP industry. I recommend buy and enjoy the ride. ... more

Great Plains Energy Incorporated Declares Dividends

Great Plains Energy Incorporated (NYSE: GXP) today announced that its Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.2075 per share on its common stock. This action continues Great Plains Energy’s indicated annual dividend level of $0.83 per share. The common dividend will be payable September 20, 2011 to shareholders of record as of August 29, 2011. The shares will begin to trade ex-dividend on August 25, 2011. The Board of Directors also declared regular dividends on the Company’s 3.80%, 4.20%, 4.35% and 4.50% series of preferred stock, payable December 1, 2011 to shareholders of record as of November 9, 2011. The shares will begin to trade ex-dividend on November 7, 2011.... more

Bel Fuse Inc. Announces Regular Quarterly Cash Dividend on Its Class A and Class B Shares

BEL FUSE INC. (Nasdaq: BELFA) and (Nasdaq: BELFB) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared regular quarterly cash dividends of $0.06 per share on the Company's Class A common shares and $0.07 per share on the Company's Class B common shares.... more

Twin Disc, Inc. Declares Regular Quarterly Cash Dividend

Twin Disc, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWIN), announced today that the Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per share payable on September 1, 2011, to shareholders of record on August 12, 2011.... more