11 Incredible Dividend Stocks: Abbott Labs

There are quite a few drug companies that have larger dividend yields than Abbott Labs (NYSE: ABT) . In fact, most drugmakers fit that bill. But bigger isn't always better when it comes to dividends. Counterintuitively, growth should play a big part in picking a dividend stock since the ability to grow the dividend rests on the company's ability to grow cash flow.... more

11 Incredible Dividend Stocks: Johnson & Johnson

Dividends rock. They force management teams to stay disciplined, line your pockets with cash, and pay you to wait while a value-centric investing thesis plays out. Even better, studies have shown time and time again that dividend-paying stocks outperform. Dividend stocks really do allow investors to have their cake (score high returns) and eat it, too (with low-risk stocks). That's why our recommendations list is chock-full of them at Inside Value, and why I'm firing a new one your way today: health-care kingpin Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) .... more

18 High Dividend Yield Utilities With Consistent Growth

Recently, we discussed the Services stocks that displayed consistent dividend growth over the past 5 years. Defensive investors should look for high dividend yields and long records of dividend payments for each high dividend yielding stock. We believe the stocks that are able to increase dividends can be appealing to conservative investors that demand consistency and some inflation protection. Some sectors, like the Utilities sector, contain many high dividend yielding stocks that have achieved consistency in dividend payments. We compiled a list of US Utilities stocks with high dividend yields and consistent dividend growth. The market data are sourced from Fidelity. All companies on this list increased their dividend payments every year since 2005. These stocks have market... more

3 Blue Chips With Rising Dividends and Increasing Earnings Estimates

The market gave back a good sized rally in the last hour of trading on Tuesday. These last hour selloffs have become the trend over the last week and are one of ten reasons I think we have quite a bit more of a pullback ahead of us as I mention here. I think the market will present even better opportunities by the end of the summer; but it is never too soon to a make a list of stocks that have become bargains and start to put some of our dry powder to use. Here are three I already have in my portfolio or will be looking to add if the market falls further. All have low valuations, a dividend yield of over 2.5% with the prospect of increasing dividend payouts in the future and rising earnings estimates. Dow Chemical Corporation (DOW) - The Dow Chemical Company engages in... more

7 High Yielding Stocks to Defend Against a Market Downturn

What to do? Dismal economic figures and soon to end government stimulus seems to finally have crippled the 3 year old bull market. U.S. markets are now faltering or declining and commodiites are stagnating. A healthy cash position is warranted. I've previously written how inverse ETFs can help (see here). High yielding securities may also provide protection. The high yield (even if reduced) is a natural defense against disinflation. Consider the following:Annaly Capital Management (NLY) and Chimera Investment (CIM) are REITs which (thanks to Fed policy... more

High Yield: Highly Profitable Companies With Rising Dividends

But beware of putting too much stock in antiquity -- past performance is no guarantee of future results. For evidence, look no further than the start of our current ongoing recession: In 2008, 62 companies out of the S&P 500 slashed dividends; in 2009, another 90 followed suit. Bank of America alone did away with $37 billion in dividends in 2008. Other companies have opted to suspend payouts altogether until their financial health improves.... more

The 25 Highest-Yielding REITs

The highest dividend yields can be very tantalizing. As long as a stock yielding 15% doesn't lose value, you'll make 15% in one year! In more cases than not, however, an astronomical yield is a bad sign for a stock. Since dividend yields and stock prices move in opposite directions, a high yield usually means that investors have begun to worry about the business, and driven down its stock price.Most real estate companies are organized as real estate investment trusts, or REITs. They do this so that they can get around the double taxation issue that most investors face. REITs don't pay taxes as long as they distribute at least 90% of their income as dividends. The investor holding shares of the REIT then has to pay taxes on those dividends as though they are income. This differs from most... more

Profit Payouts: Companies Offering Sustainable Growth While Boosting Dividends

That is why dividend investors often focus on the dividend payout ratio, which measures the size of a dividend payment to the company's net income. Companies with low dividend payout ratios choose to retain most of their income, instead of paying it out as dividends. This income can then be reinvested into projects that will hopefully generate future growth, which will help the company increase future dividend payments.... more

The Case Against Using a Dividend Reinvestment Plan

I recently outlined my case for using a Dividend Reinvestment Plan here at Seeking Alpha. In this article, I will take a look at the factors that suggest it may not always be the best plan to use a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP).Buying Better ValueThe top reason why you may not want to use a DRIP is if you are a seasoned investor who can identify value and times of opportunity versus blind, investing on a regular basis. DRIPs typically are used for automatic reinvestment of dividends, regardless of share price. A seasoned investor might instead choose to let dividends pool and when an attractive buying opportunity presents itself, allocate the collected cash at irregular intervals rather than consistent monthly or quarterly intervals.Now, most investors can't accomplish this concept... more

Income Ideas: 17 Low Beta, High Yield Utility Stocks Being Snapped by Big Money Managers

If you looking to boost your portfolio’s income, then this may be an interesting place to begin your own research. To construct this list we looked for utility stocks with three characteristics: Beta between 0-1 Dividend yield above 2% Experiencing significant institutional buying as a percentage of float 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 iframes. We also created a price-weighted index of the stocks mentioned below, and monitored the performance of the list relative to the S&P 500 index over the last month. To access a complete analysis of this list's recent performance, click here. ... more