10 High Dividend and High Growth Stocks

In a recent article we investigated high growth and high dividend stocks in emerging markets. The success of these stocks was primarily due to the tremendous growth in emerging markets over the last years. One might still wonder whether it's possible for a large cap US based company to continuously distribute dividends yet increase both revenues and profits. We think so. We compiled a list of 10 US-based companies with tremendous growth rates that also pay fat dividend checks regularly. Most of these companies benefited from commodity price inflation over the last 5 years. Legendary investors George Soros and Jim Rogers are among the hedge fund managers who are extremely bearish about inflation and bullish about commodities. All companies in this list have a market capitalization... more

30 Companies Expected to Increase Their Dividends in March

In compiling the Dividend Champions list, I get to see which companies are nearing the anniversaries of their previous dividend increases. Since most of these firms raise their payout about the same time every year, I can say with some confidence that they are likely to do so again. Based on last year's announcements, I'm expecting the following companies to announce dividend increases between now and the anniversary of their previous increase: Dividend Champions (25 or more years) No. 1/31 Qtrly % LY Company Symbol Yrs Price Yield Rate Inc. Ex-Div Air Products & Chem. APD 28 87.25 2.25 0.4900 8.89 3/30/10 ... more

12 Industrial Strength Dividend Stocks

This is the third installment in a multi-part series (I, II) that looks at different sectors that have traditionally been very friendly to dividend investors. Each of these sectors have attributes that make the companies in them potentially desirable to long-term buy-and-hold dividend growth investors. Understanding these attributes will hopefully help us to select the... more

8 Blue Chip Dividend Stocks for an Inflation-Proof Portfolio

Looking for blue chips stocks that can withstand inflationary pressures? We screened for blue chip companies that have performed well during historic bouts of inflation and pay solid dividend yields. Here they are below, plus come commentary on each. For our recent list of dividend payers outside US borders, check out these 13 emerging market names here.... more

9 Sectors, 9 Great Dividend Stock Picks for 2011

As you know already, I am currently looking to buy different stocks for my dividend portfolio. I just bought Scotiabank (BNS) and I am looking for other stocks in different sectors. I have made a list of some interesting stocks (some of which I hold already) and decided to give one stock per sector (most of them are American stocks but some are Canadian). Basic Materials: Nucor (NUE) Nucor is definitely a great dividend achiever as it has been able to increase its distribution for 37 years in a row. Nucor manufactures and sells steel and steel products. Regardless if the Steelers lost, Nucor remains a winner with steel. Since the company’s business model is highly cyclical, we can only hope for the best in the upcoming years as we are slowly coming out of a recession. NUE is... more

5 High-Yield Healthcare Stocks Buffett Could Buy

We ran a screen to filter healthcare stocks Warren Buffett would like: good returns on equity above 10%, a dividend yield of over 2%, sustainable business advantages producing significant free cash flows and a price/free cash flow ratio of under 20. We also screened for market caps larger than $30 billion in order to "move the needle," meaning, the oracle from Omaha could acquire enough shares to make the investment worthwhile given Berkshire's (BRK-A) enormous size. Moving forward, we think its possible that Buffett or his successor(s) will add some healthcare related positions to the portfolio given the cheap valuations of the sector. (But we don’t think Berkshire will pay a dividend.) According to the most recent 13F filing, Berkshire’s portfolio was only weighted 5.4% towards the... more

Top 10 Consumer Discretionary Dividend Stocks

Some consumer discretionary stocks may be well positioned to take advantage of a recovering economy while offering an attractive dividend yield. However, many consumer discretionary stocks have been battered over the past couple years as consumers closed their wallets. Analysis The analysis was conducted by screening through stocks within in the sector and limiting the selections to stocks with a greater than 1% dividend yield. There are 512 consumer discretionary companies. Of these companies, only 118 have a dividend yield at .1% or higher. The maximum yield at 11.6% for World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE). This analysis is limited by the stock screening tool that I used and one clear issue is that the dividends were not completely current in all cases. Cross referencing... more

25 Dividend Paying Stocks Raising Their Yield on Cost

There are income investors and Dividend Growth investors. While the distinction is rather simple, it slips past many casual observers. Income investors are investing for maximum current income, while dividend growth investors are looking to maximize income over an extended period of time - usually sacrificing current income for potential greater future earnings. Unlike fixed income investments, a growing dividend means a growing yield on cost. This week several companies raised their shareholders yield on cost by increasing their cash dividends: The Coca-Cola Company (KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. February 17th the company increased its quarterly dividend 7% to $0.47/share. This is equivalent to an... more

1 Water Utility Increasing Dividends Plus 3 Others Worth Considering

Nothing pleases an income investor more than an increase in dividends. Fortunately, some industries are doing well enough to provide these increases. One of those industries is the water distribution business. Aqua America (WTR) recently boosted its dividend and has provided increases every year for the last 19 years. This Pennsylvania based company has paid dividends for 65 years. It trades at 24 times forward earnings and provides a yield of 2.7%. Water stocks provide excellent income diversification along with a portfolio of electric utilities and natural gas utilities. Water utilities provide CD beating yields yields ranging from 2% to 5% according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Here are a few examples:SJW Corp. (SJW) is a San Jose, California based water distributor which serves the... more

5 Dividend Darlings

Over the last 20 years, dividends have accounted for 43% of the total S&P 500 market return. The high volatility of zero-dividend growth stocks can fly high or crash and burn. Finding high-dividend stocks with ample prospects to increase the dividend yield will provide the share appreciation necessary for capital gains, as well as higher dividends to keep up with a year-over-year cost of living increases. For dividend darlings, one can focus his... more