Warren Buffett's Top 8 Holdings Offering Yields of Over 3%

Warren Buffett is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-A). He is also one of the world's legendary investors. In the year 2008, he was #1 in the Forbes’s list of global billionaires. As of March 2011, with his net wealth of $50 billion, he became the world’s third wealthiest person according to Forbes. In his portfolio, there are 26 stocks worth $54 billion, from a range of sectors including financials, consumer goods, healthcare and energy. As an investor, he follows in the footsteps of Benjamin Graham and Philip Fisher. Buffett characterizes himself as such: I’m 15 percent Fisher and 85 percent Benjamin Graham. The basic ideas of investing are to look at stocks as business, use the market's fluctuations to your advantage, and seek a margin of safety.... more

A Canadian Oil & Gas Primer: 7 Picks Offering Above Average Dividends

While the recent commodity appreciation has become more volatile, many fiduciaries continue to believe commodity allocations will act as a currency inflation hedge. Additionally, commodity supply shortages and growing global demand for most things should assist other inflationary pressures in increasing commodity prices. Oil and natural gas are popular choices. Canadian oil & energy is a sensible choice to consider when looking for oil & natural gas investments, amongst other natural resources. Canada is the largest foreign supplier of energy to the United States, sharing large and friendly borders that facilitate easy distribution and further pipeline development. Furthermore, Canadian money has shown strength relative to most currencies because of its strong connection to natural... more

Dividend Stocks vs. Same Company Bonds: What's the Better Investment?

Stocks compete with the bond market for investor dollars. Equities are often compared to 10-Year Treasuries: when notes have low yields, stocks are considered attractive. However, little attention is paid to a comparison of a company's stock dividend and its 10-Year bond yield. A look at stock dividends and bond yields for the same company gives a treasure trove of information -- how well does the bond market think about a company's business and safety and whether the bond or stock has the more attractive pay out. Investors should therefore pay attention to the bond market. There are a number of companies in which bond holders are willing to lend money at low interest rates, literally allowing the businesses to turn themselves into free cash machines, churning out much higher dividend... more

Is Weight Watchers' Dividend Safe?

Here, we'll highlight a given company and its closest competitors to see just how safe their dividends are, with a little help from three crucial tools: The interest coverage ratio, or earnings before interest and taxes, divided by interest expense. The interest coverage ratio measures a company's ability to pay the interest on its debt. An interest coverage ratio less than 1.5 is questionable; a number less than 1 means that the company is not bringing in enough money to cover its interest expenses. The EPS payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by earnings per share. The EPS payout ratio measures the percentage of earnings that go toward paying the dividend. A ratio greater than 80% is worrisome. The FCF payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by free cash... more

Is NewMarket's Dividend Safe?

Here, we'll highlight a given company and its closest competitors to see just how safe their dividends are, with a little help from three crucial tools: The interest coverage ratio, or earnings before interest and taxes, divided by interest expense. The interest coverage ratio measures a company's ability to pay the interest on its debt. An interest coverage ratio less than 1.5 is questionable; a number less than 1 means that the company is not bringing in enough money to cover its interest expenses. The EPS payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by earnings per share. The EPS payout ratio measures the percentage of earnings that go toward paying the dividend. A ratio greater than 80% is worrisome. The FCF payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by free cash... more

Is Lincoln National's Dividend Safe?

Here, we'll highlight a given company and its closest competitors to see just how safe their dividends are, with a little help from three crucial tools: The interest coverage ratio, or earnings before interest and taxes, divided by interest expense. The interest coverage ratio measures a company's ability to pay the interest on its debt. An interest coverage ratio less than 1.5 is questionable; a number less than 1 means that the company is not bringing in enough money to cover its interest expenses. The EPS payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by earnings per share. The EPS payout ratio measures the percentage of earnings that go toward paying the dividend. A ratio greater than 80% is worrisome. The FCF payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by free cash... more

Is Kinross Gold's Dividend Safe?

Here, we'll highlight a given company and its closest competitors to see just how safe their dividends are, with a little help from three crucial tools: The interest coverage ratio, or earnings before interest and taxes, divided by interest expense. The interest coverage ratio measures a company's ability to pay the interest on its debt. An interest coverage ratio less than 1.5 is questionable; a number less than 1 means that the company is not bringing in enough money to cover its interest expenses. The EPS payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by earnings per share. The EPS payout ratio measures the percentage of earnings that go toward paying the dividend. A ratio greater than 80% is worrisome. The FCF payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by free cash... more

These Dividend Monsters Belong Together

This pair could hardly get any closer together without sharing a room. But Vodafone still doesn't think that its relationship with Verizon is tight enough. The way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised to see a trans-Atlantic merger before long.... more

Is ITT's Dividend Safe?

Here, we'll highlight a given company and its closest competitors to see just how safe their dividends are, with a little help from three crucial tools: The interest coverage ratio, or earnings before interest and taxes, divided by interest expense. The interest coverage ratio measures a company's ability to pay the interest on its debt. An interest coverage ratio less than 1.5 is questionable; a number less than 1 means that the company is not bringing in enough money to cover its interest expenses. The EPS payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by earnings per share. The EPS payout ratio measures the percentage of earnings that go toward paying the dividend. A ratio greater than 80% is worrisome. The FCF payout ratio, or dividends per share divided by free cash... more

8 Buy Rated Income Stocks With Dividend Growth and 19 Currently on Hold

The goal for this screen is to look for dividend stocks with decent yields and some historical sustainability. We want stocks that pay dividends backed by revenue and earnings growth. The dividends themselves should have a steady growth rate. Here are some of the criteria for the scan: Market Cap > 1 billion Dividend growth rate at least 5% Dividend yield at least 4% 5 Year earnings growth positive 5 Year revenue growth positive 1 Year earnings growth positive 1 Year price change is positive Analyst consensus is moderate – strong buy. *All data is based on the Bing Finance screener and the FINVIZ screener which may differ somewhat depending on the source. Buy-rated Income Stocks Ticker Company Industry Country Dividend Yield CTL ... more