15 Dividend Stocks to Consider

In order to find companies that offer safe, reliable dividends, one must generally look at companies with a large market cap and a solid history of dividend payments. Obviously the yield is another very important metric because it determines what you are getting paid for your investment. Companies with high yields are also the companies that are generally seeing the highest profits, as they can afford to pay more to their investors. This may seem like general knowledge, as most people already know these facts about dividends. The hardest part of investing is picking the right companies to put money into, that will produce the highest and safest dividends. This can include a lot of research of the company to find its dividend history and increase in yields from year to year along with... more

Highest-Yielding Energy Stocks (You Might Actually Want to Buy)

What's more, reinvesting dividends acts as a "bear-market protector and return accelerator," according to Siegel. The extra shares purchased and accumulated at higher dividend yields during down periods act as a protector in falling markets, and these extra shares rising in value turn into a "return accelerator" when prices rise. As the recent economic crisis illustrated all too well, however, you can't buy just any high-yielding stock. Dividends that get cut or suspended entirely can wreak havoc on a stock price -- and thus, your portfolio.... more

10 Defensive Dividend Stocks Yielding Over 4%

Stocks were lower this morning as the market digested another weak jobs report. U.S. employers added 18,000 workers in June, the fewest in nine months, and the unemployment rate "unexpectedly" climbed to 9.2%, indicating a struggling labor market. Despite the pullback today, the S&P 500 is up over 6% over the past two weeks. We feel that this short term rally is more of a technical bounce and is not representative of the underlying fundamentals of the U.S. economy. The U.S. economy continues to have significant headwinds (e.g., high unemployment, end of QE2 (start of QE3?), weak housing market, high debt levels, etc.) and signs are definitely pointing toward further weakness in the equity market. In the current market environment, it is important for income investors to choose their... more

Diving for Dividends and Options: 4 Small Caps Selling for Less Than Book Value

With over 69% of stocks above their 50-day moving averages, it's getting tougher to find bargains in this market, so we went looking for dividend paying stocks with Price/Book values under 1, and found four small caps, two of which are listed in our High Dividend Stocks By Sector Tables. There are also some pretty high options yields available on 3 of these stocks, (details below). (Click to enlarge) All 4 firms have dividend yields above the current S&P average, have a conservative dividend payout ratio, and pay quarterly dividends. FLY Leasing Limited (FLY): Leases commercial aircraft, and changed its name from Babcock & Brown in 2007. FLY owns a fleet of 60 aircraft that it leases under multi-year operating leases to 34 airlines in 23 countries. Nisak Gas Storage Partners (NKA):... more

Dividend Growth Stocks: Companies Creating Real Wealth With Higher Cash Dividends

A stock dividend, also known as a "scrip dividend," is a dividend payment made with stock instead of cash. Sometimes when companies are tight on cash, they will declare and pay a stock dividend in lieu of a cash dividend. Most shareholders feel like they are getting something. But are they really? In short, a stock dividend is nothing more than a glorified stock split. At the end of the process, the shareholder has more shares that are worth less. Like a stock split, you can not create value by issuing paper and getting nothing in exchange. This week we only have two notable companies that recently decided to raise their cash dividends: Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. (OZRK) operates as the bank holding company for Bank of the Ozarks that provides a range of retail and commercial banking... more

5 Pharmaceutical Titans Offering Substantial Dividends

Drug manufacturing is one of the most consistent industries as there’s always been a need for new ideas to develop drugs as well as producing the current ones. Most of the renowned manufacturers offer serious profits to investors. Here is a list of five pharmaucatical titans paying substantial dividends and priced with low P/E ratios. All of the companies pay a minimum 3% dividend yield and have have very large market caps (data derived from Finviz/Morningstar, and is current as of July 7 close): Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): JNJ just won approval for a new type of blood tinner. The healthcare titan has a market cap of $186 billion, and a P/E of 15.26. Forward P/E is 12.77, while earnings increased by 8.72% this year. Net profit margin was 19.77%, and the New... more

Companies Creating Real Wealth With Higher Cash Dividends

A stock dividend, also known as a "scrip dividend", is a dividend payment made with stock instead of cash. Sometimes when companies are tight on cash, they will declare and pay a stock dividend in lieu of a cash dividend. Most shareholders feel like they are getting something. But are they really? In short, a stock dividend is nothing more than a glorified stock split. At the end of the process, the shareholder has more shares that are worth less. Like a stock split, you can not create value by issuing paper and getting nothing in exchange. This week we only have two notable companies that recently decided to raise their cash dividends: Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. (OZRK) operates as the bank holding company for Bank of the Ozarks that provides a range of retail and commercial banking... more

Realty Income (O) Dividend Stock Analysis

Realty Income Corporation (O) engages in the acquisition and ownership of commercial retail real estate properties in the United States. The company leases its retail properties primarily to regional and national retail chain store operators. Realty Income is a real estate investment trust widely known among its investors as the monthly dividend company. The company is a dividend achiever, which has increased its dividend for 16 years in a row by raising its monthly distributions several times per year. Over the past decade this dividend growth stock has delivered a total return of 15% per annum to its shareholders. Realty Income owned 2496 retail properties at the end of 2010. The company's properties which are leased by 122 retail and other consumer businesses in 32 industries are... more

3 Super High Dividend Stocks Yielding 7% to 15%

High yielding stocks continue to make sense as rates will remain anemic in more traditional investments like savings accounts, bonds, etc. The dividend stocks below pay yields from about 7% to 15%. These kinds of payouts are particularly attractive to own within an IRA, 401k or other tax deferred account since your dividend payments will be allowed to compound tax free over time. Two of the stocks below have dropped along with the markets over the past few weeks and have not yet fully recovered. Because of that, the first two stocks listed look particularly attractive: Ferrellgas Partners (FGP) is trading around $23.05. Ferrellgas is a leading distributor of propane fuel products, based in Kansas. These shares have traded in a range from $21.76 to $29 in the last 52 weeks. The 50 day... more

3 High Yield stocks That Are Likely to Outperform the Market

The current environment is dominated by uncertainty. Uncertainty about: The strength of bank balance sheets and how they would fare in another credit default crisis precipitated by sovereign debt defaults. The rate of growth in emerging markets. The supply of oil. All of these concerns are real, and should make investors very nervous. It is a distinct possibility that a crisis in banks, China, or oil supplies could precipitate another crash of the September, 2008 variety. However, I am inclined to believe that fear in the marketplace is overblown because of the recent slaughter. Investors have parked a lot of money in bonds because of this fear and, as a result, rates on 10 yr treasuries briefly dipped below 3%. With such low yields, and the distinct possibility of a precipitous crash... more