Contrarian Ideas: 25 High-Yield Stocks Being Targeted by Short Sellers

The following is a list of high yield dividend stocks that have seen a significant increase in shares shorted between 1/15 - 2/15.Is this excessive pessimism justified, or will the inevitable short-covering provide support to these high yielding stocks? If you're a contrarian, these trends might raise a flag. Full details below.Short trends data sourced from Yahoo! Finance. click for expanded image The list has been sorted by the change in shares shorted between 1/15 - 2/15.1. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A (BLX): Foreign Money Center Banks Industry. Market cap of $640.42M. Dividend yield 4.58%. Shares shorted increased from 646.53K to 912.45K (41.13% change). The stock has had a good month, gaining 33.72%.2. HCP, Inc. (HCP): REIT. Market cap of $13.62B. Dividend... more

195 Dividend Stocks Every Income Investor Should Know About

In 2009, I introduced the Stock Ideas list and it has proven to be immensely popular. The list consists of Dividend Aristocrats, US Broad Dividend Achievers and U.S. Dividend Champions. Duplications in the above lists are eliminated and stocks are crossed out when I learn that they have either cut their dividend or fail to raise it. Here is some information on each of the constituent lists and some highlights on this year’s changes: Dividend Aristocrats: Companies in the S&P 500 that have followed a policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 25 consecutive years. As the name denotes, these are the best of the best – the blue blood stocks, including names like: Abbott Laboratories (ABT) | Yield: 3.9% Coca-Cola Co (KO) | Yield: 2.9% Exxon... more

15 Dividend Stocks to Hold for the Long Term

The S&P Total Return Portfolio is designed for the long-term total return. It is comprised of stocks meeting the following criteria: The current yield must be at least equal to or greater than that of the S&P 500 The company must not have cut its regular dividend in the past five years at the time of entry into the portfolio The dividend must be secure in the opinion of the S&P analyst who follows the stock 15 stocks from the S&P Total Return Portfolio are shown below with their current dividend yields: S.No. Company Ticker Sector Dividend Yield 1 Abbott Laboratories ABT Major Drugs 3.94% 2 Altria Group MO Tobacco 6.00%... more

Prudent Yield Hog Focus: Vector Group

Vector Group (VGR) appeared in the StockScreen123 Prudent Yield Hog model, the more aggressive “pushing-the-envelope” envelope version I wrote about on March 3, and it still appears in the screen today. (See appendix below for details of the model.) This isn’t the highest-yielding stock in the list, but at about 9%, it’s still an eye-opener given current market conditions. We should start by considering this a tobacco company. So obviously, if you are at all inclined toward what’s known as “socially conscious” investing, this would have to be crossed off the list. (Especially considering that litigation risk, while still present, is not overpowering in light of how easily the company got off in a prior settlement involving most states that spares it the burden of making... more

Dividend Scan: QCOM, BNS, ADC, CHK, GG, PLW, ITT

Amid the volatility in the market, CEO of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) Brian Moynihan declared that the bank plans to increase its dividend as the bank focuses on returning every penny in capital to shareholders through regular and special cash dividends. Several companies joined the celebration by declaring their annual and quarterly dividends. Some notable dividend payers are discussed here.
Qucalcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) slipped 2.34 percent or $1.33 to $56.25 despite raising its quarterly dividend by 13 percent to 21.5 cents per share from 19 cents a share, payable after March 25, 2011.
Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE: BNS) boosted its quarterly dividend by 6.1 percent to 52 cents per share. However, BNS lost 1.62 percent or $1 to $60.82.... more

The Extraordinary Power of Dividends

What you see is often so much less than what you get. Doug Short, who writes the finance blog dshort.com, published this chart last week, showing the Dow in nominal terms next to its real value, adjusted for inflation:... more

7 High Yield Dividend Stocks With Enough Cash to Cover 2+ Quarters of Operating Expenses

If you're an income investor, the following list might be an interesting starting point for your own analysis. The following is a list of high dividend yield stocks that have enough cash to cover at least two quarters of their past year’s average quarterly operating expense. We calculated the average quarterly operating expense over the last four quarters, and compared it with current cash holdings for each firm. All companies listed below have more than 2x cash for their avg. quarterly operating expense, translating into 2+ quarters of avg. operating expenses. Considering the cash holdings of these firms, are these high dividend payments safe? Under this assumption, which of these names is worth a spot in your portfolio? See full details below. Operating expenses and cash... more

Best in Breed Dividend Stocks: Core Holdings for the Long-Term Investor (Part 4)

<< Return to Part 3 In the previous three installments of "Best in Breed Dividend Stocks," we discussed what constitutes a best in breed dividend stock. Again, without regurgitating the entire article, the key investment metrics I focus on are: consistent long term dividend payments, dividend growth rate, a low dividend payout ratio, above average return on equity, above average sustainable growth, and a durable competitive advantage. So far we have focused on 10 sectors: Basic Materials: Freeport-McMoRan ( FCX ) Consumer Staples: Pepsico Inc. (PEP) Energy: Chevron Corporation (CVX) Financial: Bank of Hawaii ( BOH ) Healthcare: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Industrial: ... more

Realty Income (O): 488 Monthly Dividends

Our latest "Stock of the Month" has one of the finest and most dependable dividend streaks you'll ever find. Realty Income (O) just announced its 488th consecutive monthly dividend, meaning it hasn't missed a payment since 1970. That tells me two things. One, the shareholder-friendly management team is committed to returning excess cash to shareholders. Two, it has consistently generated the profits to back up those payments through thick and thin. Realty Income collects steady rental income from a growing portfolio of 2,500 retail properties. The company has been rock steady over the years, even in the face of some harsh commercial real estate downturns. Having a diverse portfolio that spans 32 industries and 49 states protects against a slump in any one sector or... more

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

The power of dividend investing is pretty well-known these days. Higher-yielding stocks tend to offer higher returns over time than low- or no-yield stocks, according to research from Jeremy Siegel and others. In fact, the 20 best-performing survivor stocks from the original S&P 500 in 1957 are all dividend payers. 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.... more