Webster Financial Corp. (NYSE: WBS) - Another Bank Raises Dividend

The latest in a string of banks to increase its quarterly payout to shareholders, Waterbury Connecticut-based Webster Financial Corp. (NYSE: WBS), the holding company for Webster Bank N.A., raised its quarterly cash dividend to $0.05 per share on its common stock, from the previous dividend of $0.01 per share. James C. Smith, Webster's chairman and chief executive officer, said, "Giving consideration to Webster's strong capital position and consistently improving operating performance, the board is pleased to announce an increase in the cash dividend.  The board will consider further increases in the dividend based on future performance and capital needs." The dividend on the common shares will be payable on May 23, 2011, to shareholders of record on May 9, 2011. Webster also... more

The 5 Highest Dividend Paying Stocks In the Healthcare Sector

Healthcare stocks spent a good share of 2010 in the red, largely due to concerns over the healthcare legislation passed last year. However, that sentiment seems to have changed in 2011. Take a look at the 2011 sector gains in this table: We screened for the top Healthcare dividend paying stocks with good ROE and low short interest, and came up with these 5 stocks: (Click chart to expand) In terms of market cap, it's a mixed bag, ranging from micro caps Psychemedics (PMD) and Daxor (DXR), to large cap Pharma firms Astra Zeneca (AZN) and Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK). Daxor has the highest dividend yield, but has decreased its dividend payouts over the past 3 years, from $1.50 to $1.35 to $1.00. Also, its labs show operating losses, and the firm depends upon earning profits via sales of its... more

4 Dividend Stocks Showing You the Money

Readers of the Income Investor newsletter can certainly appreciate that kind of thinking. Let's take a closer look at some of the companies that inched their payouts higher this past week. Let's start with Coach (NYSE: COH) . The maker of designer handbags and other stylish accessories wants to put a little more pocket change into those purses. Coach is boosting its dividend by 50% to an annual rate of $0.90 a share.... more

15 Special Dividend Stocks With Low PE Ratios and Excellent Track Records

In our recent study we have shown that the average return of high dividend yielding stocks was 13.04% between 1927 and 2009. We compiled a list of 15 companies with low PE ratios that also pay fat dividend checks regularly. All companies in this list have a market capitalization above $500 million, P/E ratio lower than 12 and dividend yield of at least 3.4%. These 15 stocks returned 21% (including dividends) during the past 12 months beating government bonds by a large margin. Stock Yield (%) Recent Price (USD) Dividend (USD) 2008 2009 2010 1. Alliance Resource Partners, LP (ARLP): 4.4% 82.4 2.53 2.95 3.21 2. Exelon Corporation (EXC): 5.1% 42.2 2.03 2.10 2.10 3.Lockheed Martin (LMT): 3.8% 79.3 1.83 2.34 2.64 4. Maiden Holdings (MHLD): 3.8% 7.5 0.16 ... more

7 Dividend Paying ADRs Worth Considering

International trade is as old as trade itself. It is widely accepted that a diversified portfolio should have some exposure to the international markets. There are three ways to gain this exposure. Perhaps the easiest is to invest in American companies with extensive business overseas. The trouble with this method is that the investor cannot focus on particular markets or areas of the world. The second method is the most difficult; it is the direct purchase of stock on foreign exchanges. The third method is to purchase American Depository Receipts (ADR) of foreign companies. A negotiable certificate issued by a U.S. bank representing a specified number of shares (or one share) in a foreign stock that is traded on a U.S. exchange. ADRs are denominated in U.S. dollars, with the underlying... more

Balancing Risk and Growth When Looking for Basic Materials Dividend Stocks

Basic materials are hot right now. With oil prices rising past $110 a barrel, copper setting all time highs, and steel close to its 2008 peaks, many investors are scouring the markets for good investment opportunities. Some investors look at basic materials as good dividend stocks - strong consistent dividends; however, it can often result in simply chasing the highest yield.One can always ask the questions, 'is this a high dividend yield because it has strong earnings and good prospects or is it a high yield because the price is in decline due to fundamental questions about the company'. Finding a 5% dividend yield only to have the stock drop 10% in price is not very useful. When looking at investment opportunities it is important to dig a little deeper to understand the company's... more

24 High Dividend Stocks Being Targeted by Short Sellers

We like high dividend stocks and consider them as alternatives to 10-year Treasury bonds. Like Jim Rogers and Ray Dalio, we are concerned about Fed’s inflationary monetary policy and want to protect ourselves against inflation. One of the ways of doing this without assuming significant risks is investing in high dividend stocks. High dividend stocks are usually safer but under some circumstances they might be extremely dangerous. The vulnerable high dividend yielding companies may be targeted by short sellers. So, high short interest in high dividend stocks may signal danger. Since we are a source for free insider trading data, we compiled this list of stocks that have at least a 5% dividend yield and a minimum of 5% open short interest. We also require that the short interest has... more

Stocks Going Ex-Dividend the Second Week of May

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over... more

The Highest-Yielding Health-Care 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

Top 6 Oil & Gas Transporters Paying Substantial Dividends

As oil prices rise, costs go up for transportation companies as well, forcing them to raise transportation prices in order to keep their profit margins. While one might think of higher oil & gas prices as a negative signal for transporters, recent research supports the opposite hypothesis: There is a strong correlation between oil & gas transporters and retail gasoline prices, particularly for the long-run. As crude oil is hovering around $110, the profits of oil & gas transporters will continue their upside movement. Here is a list of the top six oil & gas transporters with nice dividends, all of which have a minimum market cap of $2 billion, and a maximum P/E ratio of 25:... more