AFLAC Incorporated (AFL) Dividend Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net July 4, 2011. Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of AFLAC Incorporated (AFL). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis: Company Description: Aflac Incorporated provides supplemental health and life insurance in the U.S. and Japan. Products are marketed at work sites and help fill gaps in primary insurance coverage. Approximately 80% of earnings comes from Japan and 20% from the U.S. Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Avg. High Yield Price 2. 20-Year DCF Price 3. Avg. P/E Price 4. Graham Number AFL is trading at a discount to only 3.)... more

A Trio Of Higher-Yield Bond Substitutes

Certain bond substitutes are yielding more than Treasuries, with the prospect of inflation-beating boosts to your cash income as the years go by. I'm talking about dividend-rich, low-volatility common stocks. Three worth adding to your stash of income producers now are Government Properties Income Trust (GOV), Tortoise MLP Fund (NTG) and Westpac Banking (WBK). Find me a safer way to own commercial real estate Government Properties Income Trust, if you can. This office landlord derives 93% of its rents from federal and state tenants. So defaults aren't a pressing issue. But what if a Second American Revolution comes along and shrinks the size of government? Aha! Even now, GOV's small roster of private tenants pay higher rent (per square foot) than the government tenants do.... more

Windfall Profits Loom From Silver's Spike

First Majestic Silver (NYSE: AG) produced another 1.8 million ounces of silver during the second quarter of 2011, sauntering one step closer to its impressive 2011 target of 7.5 million ounces. The output yielded a precise match to those regal production numbers from the first quarter, although the company's powerful underlying growth momentum continues unabated. While we wait for earnings results to trickle in from the sector over the coming weeks, a little fun with numbers (using First Majestic as a case study) can help Fools to anticipate the kind of quarter we can expect from the group. First Majestic's first-quarter net profit margin of 43% would qualify as an astonishing degree of profitability in many other industries, but for silver miners such feats have become commonplace.... more

46 Dividend Increases Expected in the Next 10 Weeks

In compiling the Dividend Champions list, I get to see which companies are nearing the anniversaries of their previous dividend increases. Since most of these firms raise their payout about the same time every year, I can say with some confidence that they are likely to do so again.
A Little More Quiet Time
Of the 36 companies listed in my June 27 article, only five announced increases, so most of them have been carried over here. Based on last year's announcements, I'm expecting the following companies to announce dividend increases between now and the anniversary of their previous increase:Dividend Champions (25 or more years):... more

Ameron Announces Quarterly Dividend

Ameron International Corporation (NYSE: AMN) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of 30 cents per share of common stock, payable August 16, 2011 to stockholders of record on July 28, 2011.... more

Pitney Bowes Board Declares Common, Preference and Preferred Stock Dividends

The Board of Directors of Pitney Bowes Inc (NYSE: PBI) declared a quarterly cash dividend on the company’s common stock of 37 cents per share, payable September 12, 2011, to stockholders of record on August 12, 2011; a quarterly cash dividend of 53 cents per share on the company’s $2.12 convertible preference stock, payable October 1, 2011, to stockholders of record September 15, 2011, and a quarterly cash dividend of 50 cents per share on the company’s 4 percent convertible cumulative preferred stock, payable November 1, 2011, to stockholders of record October 14, 2011.... more

8 Dividend Stocks With Particularly Strong Balance Sheets

One of my primary ways for seeking out investments is finding companies with balance sheets stronger than their competitors. Financially healthy companies have the option to take advantage of all types of economies, and have resources available for all opportunities that come their way. The most useful financial health metrics depend the type of company. Financial companies should be treated differently from consumer products companies. Utilities and infrastructure companies that generate steady cash flows, but typically require considerable leverage due to their large asset necessities, should be given a bit of leeway due to the nature of the industry. For small caps, metrics focusing on available capital, like the quick ratio and current ratio, are helpful. Whereas in larger companies,... more

10 Dividend Stocks With Fast Growth in Cash Flows

One of the most important considerations in choosing a source of dividend income is whether a company can continue to support their dividend with healthy cash flows. If cash-flow trends aren’t encouraging, the company may have trouble maintaining their dividend yield. With this idea in mind, we screened dividend stocks paying at least 2% dividend yields for those exhibiting positive cash-flow trends. Using the ratio of free operating cash flow/revenue, we screened for companies with a trailing-twelve-month ratio at least 25% larger than their five-year average. Interactive Chart: Press Play to compare changes in analyst ratings over the last two years for the top six stocks mentioned below. Analyst ratings sourced from Zacks Investment Research. Your browser does not support... more

7 Companies Paying Large Dividends That Are Fully Covered by Earnings

Income seeking investors often like to screen for companies that pay handsome dividend yields. In some cases, dividend yields can be as high as or even higher than yields on corporate bonds. Unfortunately, companies that have paid large dividends in the past may be about to cut their future dividends, which is the primary reason for stocks trading at eye-popping historical dividend yields. For example, Nokia (NOK) trades at a published dividend yield of nearly 8%, but the company has warned of a sharp drop in earnings, making a dividend cut seem likely. In order to minimize the probability of a prospective dividend cut, we have looked for companies that pay dividend yields of at least 5% and are expected to earn sufficient income going forward to fully cover the anticipated dividend... more

Seeking Solid Dividends With Water Utilities

Utilities are often well known for providing solid and consistent dividends; however, many investors are familiar with the electric and gas utilities. This article will take a closer look at Water Utilities that are publicly traded on U.S. exchanges. These companies primiarly have operations in the United States. This article will look at the following companies: Ticker Name Market Cap ($ millions) July 5, 2011 Dividend Yield (%) AWK American Water Works 5,245 2.9 WTR Aqua America, Inc. 3,084 2.8 CWT California Water Service Group Holding 780 3.3 AWR American States Water Company 654 3.2 SJW SJW Corporation 456 2.8 ... more