Stocks Going Ex-Dividend the Fifth Week of March

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 $500... more

Are Banks Ready For Dividends?

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured banks earned $21.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010, and $87.5 billion for the full year the highest since 2007. So, shouldn't the banks be sharing those profits with investors? Insured institutions paid $53.9 billion in dividends in 2010, an increase of $6.7 billion (14.3%) over 2009, but less than half the annual record of $110.3 billion paid in 2007. At first sight, a 14.3% increase in cash dividends that the banks paid seems to be appealing, however, given the current inflation and expectations that seems to be not so appealing. What/who is preventing the banks from paying higher dividends? Are the banks actually ready for higher dividends? Some good news first On March 18th, JP Morgan Chase & Co., U.S Bancorp, Wells... more

Dividend Scan: ASBI, IMKTA, T, THO, WAYN, CALM

Amid the positive movement of the US market, several companies declared their future dividend plans. Some notable dividend payers are discussed here. Ameriana Bancorp (Nasdaq: ASBI) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.01 per share, payable on April 29, 2011 to shareholders of record on April 8, 2011. ASBI gained 3.45 percent or $0.15 to $4.50. Ingles Markets Inc (Nasdaq: IMKTA) lost 2.37 percent or $0.47 to $19.36 despite declaring a cash dividend of $0.165 per share. The dividend is payable on April 21, 2011 to shareholders of record on April 7, 2011. AT&T Inc (NYSE: T) gained 2.20 percent or $0.64 to $29.49 after it declared a quarterly dividend of 43 cents per share. The dividend is payable on May 2, 2011 to shareholders of record on April 8, 2011. Thor Industries Inc... more

3 Small Caps With Major Dividend Potential

It's no wonder, then, that dividend-paying stocks have returned to darling status lately. Yields as low as 2% provide a huge bump up in what your spare money pays out. Although stocks are much riskier than cash in the bank, investor memory is short, and the last year's market rally remains fresh in many people's minds. Though you and I know that stocks aren't a no-lose proposition, they certainly seemed that way until the market turmoil of the past few weeks. If you can achieve both capital gains and a cash payout, why wouldn't you take advantage? Then and nowI've been called crazy before for suggesting Fools buy anything now. With market pundits continually calling stocks "overvalued" by indexwide price-to-earnings metrics, and major uncertainty in energy, it might seem like a bad time... more

This High-Yield Dividend Portfolio Will Beat the Market

Over the past two weeks, the S&P 500 rose a slight 0.35%. Our portfolio maintained its outperformance of the market, extending its lead to 1.56 percentage points! While outperformance is always good, it should be taken with a grain of salt. We're investing for the long term, and it's only been five weeks. But I firmly believe the results will bear us out. Movers & shakersOf our stocks, the biggest mover in the portfolio the past two weeks was Bristol-Myers Squibb, which rose 3.33%. The stock jumped on Friday when, as Fool pharma analyst Brian Orelli expected, the FDA approved the firm's melanoma drug Yervoy . The drug is a breakthrough in that it is the first time a drug has significantly extended survival for melanoma patients.... 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 Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL ) . Larry Ellison's enterprise software giant is boosting its quarterly dividend 20% to $0.06 a share. The 0.7% yield may not seem like much, but it's a better payout than many of its cash-rich peers that refuse to initiate a distribution policy.... more

8 Dividend-Payers That Avoid the Cash Trap

This is a one-year performance recap of the stocks mentioned in an article published on March 26, 2010 generated by Dividends4Life of Dividends Value. Symbol Name 2010 Adj. Price* 2011 Price % change Yield at rec'd RAVN Raven Industries 28.16 58.65 108.27% 2.89% HIFS Hingham Savings 32.34 51 57.70% 2.83% COP ConocoPhillips 49.11 80.24 63.39% 4.22% WSM Williams-Sonoma 26.18 39.45 50.69% 1.88% SBUX Starbucks 24.16 36.9 52.73% 1.58% CSBK Clifton Savings 9.15 11.94 30.49% 2.50% VLGEA ... more

Beat the Market by Investing in S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats

The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index measures the performance of companies which have increased their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. This index beat the S&P 500 index over the past 1, 3, 5 and 7 years. The table below shows the recent performances of S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats and S&P 500 indices. Table Date: December 31, 2010 S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats S&P 500 Returns 1 Month 5.49% 6.68% 3 Month 6.98% 10.76% YTD 19.35% 15.06% Annualized Returns 1 Year 19.35% 15.06% 3 Years 5.67% -2.86% 5 Years 6.27% 2.29% 7 Years 7.16% 3.85% ... more

Top 5 Telecoms Paying Excellent Dividends

In terms of dividends, telecommunication stocks are among the most promising companies. Thanks to their cutting-edge technological innovations, the world is becoming a global village. There is an ever increasing demand for data services provided by telecommunication companies. According to the Telecommunications Industry Association the telecom market is expected to grow by at least 9% for the next few years. We screened for highly profitable North American Telecoms with substantial dividends and a maximum P/E ratio of 20. All of the following companies listed have a minimum 4% dividend yield. While there are several telecom companies listed in NYSE, only the following telecoms fit into this criteria: Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE): BCE is Canada's largest communications company,... more

6 Food Processing Stock Picks: Downside Protection With Dividends

In a recent article, I wrote about a world in turmoil: The disaster that hit Japan, revolution in the mid-east and financial problems in Europe. A reader reminded me that in spite of these events, life goes on. Our need to eat is one obvious requirement. There are about 68 companies classified as being in the food processing industry. We screened our list to exclude companies trading as ADRs, trading over-the-counter or with market capitalizations below $500 million. We reduced this list to a final selection of companies that we feel may be under-priced. The food processing industry is, by definition, reliant on agricultural commodity products. The availability and prices of agricultural commodities is affected by weather conditions, disease, government programs, and competition.... more