Becton Dickinson: My Only Hesitation Is the Low Dividend Yield

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BDX). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis: Company Description: Becton, Dickinson and Co provides a wide range of medical devices and diagnostic products used in hospitals, doctors’ offices, research labs and other settings. Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:... more

Four Large-Cap Utilities With High Return on Invested Capital and Solid Dividends

Which large-cap management teams in the Dow Jones Utility Index has provided investors with the best return on invested capital? A few weeks ago, I developed a table and included it in an article here. The highest four on a trailing twelve month basis were Exelon (EXC), Dominian Resources (D), Public Service Enterprise Group (PEG), and NextEra Energy (NEE). These management teams and their business models could be reviewed to see if they fit into your utility portfolio. Each has a slightly different profile to their business. Exelon operates a large number of nuclear power plants and is anchored by the regulated electric utilities serving Chicago-land, Ohio, Michigan, greater Philadelphia, and south-east Pennsylvania. Exelon’s business has been hurt by lower demand, very weak pricing,... more

Gold Resource (GORO) Declares $0.03 Special Dividend; 0.1% Yield

Gold Resource Corporation (AMEX: GORO) is pleased to announce it has declared its seventh Special Cash Dividend of $0.03 per common share. The dividend is payable February 25, 2011, to its shareholders of record February 14. The ex-dividend date is February 11, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 0.1%.... more

Regis Corporation (RGS) Raises Quarterly Cash Dividend by 50%

Regis Corporation (NYSE: RGS) has declared a regular quarterly dividend of six cents per share, an increase of two cents or 50% over the previous quarter’s dividend. The dividend is payable on February 24, 2011, to shareholders of record as of February 10, 2011. There are 57,617,211 shares outstanding.... more

New York Community Bank: Predicting a New S&P 500 Stock (With an Already Appealing Dividend)

The S&P 500 has added and subtracted lots of companies: NE, NFLX, CVC in, NYT, EK, OPD out. Yet, the index has missed an attractive candidate, New York Community Bank (NYCB), something I predict will be rectified in 2011. NYCB has been a serial acquirer of banks, something that has continued even during the Great Recession when it picked up failed banks on the cheap from the FDIC. NYCB has an $8 billion market cap. Compare NYCB's market cap to other members of the S&P 500: ZION at $4 billion, LM at $5 billion, CMA at $7 billion, FHN at $3 billion, HCBK at $6 billion, and HBAN at $6 billion. NYCB is the only U.S. financial with a market cap over $5 billion not included in the S&P500.* It meets all the criteria (.pdf) for inclusion in the index: U.S. based, stable earnings, liquidity,... more

Top 5 Dividend Stocks Near a New Low

The Dow hit 12,000 intra-week but closed decisively lower at 11,823. The S&P 500 was flat for the week. Our watch list has 16 companies that are within 10% of their 52-week low. The complete list of companies can be found here.January 28, 2011 Watch List... more

4 Obscure Community Banks with Strong Dividend Growth and Low Valuation

I ran a broad screen across the entire market but ended up honing in on an area that I generally feel might be neglected by investors: Small-Cap Banks. My thinking has been that Banks are only now starting to draw attention from investors - they lagged terribly in both 2009 and 2010. During Q4, the tide may have turned.Here is the screen I ran:... more

Three Quality (And Current) Dividend Paying Stocks

Some investors are waiting for Google (GOOG) to start paying a dividend with the reasoning that this monster cap stock, while having decent growth of over 16% expected for this and next year, is not the high-growth earner it once was. With high free cash flow they could easily disperse a sustainable dividend. Others say that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B) should also pay a dividend. Shares climb when Warren buys a wonderful company at a discount price and then waits for the market to correct from irrationality. If the market keeps rising, Warren may not see a good bargain and will be forced to pay dividends...at least until he finds another use for his cash. Unfortunately, he will have to declare a lot of taxes since he holds a whopping amount of shares himself.... more

Create an Income Portfolio With These 4 High-Yield ETFs

As interest rates remain low, investors are seeking out higher yields in all sorts of places, including the equity market. Investors are looking for more yield than the one percent they are earning in bank CDs or the 3.4% yield of the 10 year Treasury bond.For investors not willing to select individual equities, or without enough cash to diversify, exchange traded funds offer an alternative. There are around 1200 ETFs to choose from. Many of them aren't appropriate for individual investors. For investors seeking yield, diversification, and some market appreciation the task of selecting the right funds can be daunting. The following four funds may be appropriate for many investors creating a portfolio geared toward streaming income.... more

5 Companies Raising Their Dividends Now

It’s a New Year and that means a new round of dividend hikes. Companies have excess cash on their balance sheets and are using it to buy back shares of stock and increase dividend payouts to shareholders. Here are five companies that have been in the news recently for upping their dividends.... more