7 Telecom Dividend Stocks Getting Slammed

Contrarian investors should utilize times like this to differentiate between stocks that are dropping for fundamentally sound reasons -- and those stocks that are simply being dragged down because of general market concerns. Sure, there's plenty to worry about -- gigantic federal deficits, sovereign debt problems in Europe, an economic slowdown in China. But let's not forget that in the midst of all of this volatility lies the prospect to grab some great companies at dirt cheap prices. In particular, I'm a huge fan of dividend stocks. Renowned professor Jeremy Siegel has illustrated that from 1957 to 2003, when reinvesting dividends, the S&P's 100 highest-yielding stocks outperformed the market by an average of 3 percentage points. Over a long period of time, 3 percentage points can... more

Unusual Dividend Policies Deserve Your Consideration

Dividend-paying companies typically have a fixed dividend rate, and make payments to shareholders quarterly. But plenty of companies buck that norm, and several of their alternative models actually make a lot of sense. Few companies are actually required to pay dividends. Typically, dividends come from established blue chips with few better uses for the money. Younger companies often need that stray cash to further fuel their own growth.... more

Income Boost: High Yield Dividend Stocks Buying Back Their Own Stock

When companies choose to distribute profits to shareholders, they can do so in two ways: by doling out dividends, or by buying back their own stock, which increases investor earnings per share by decreasing the inventory on the open market. Each method of payout comes with its own shareholder benefits. Beyond boosting EPS, share repurchases also limit an investor's downside -- no matter how far the stock falls, it always has a built-in pool of buyers. And from a tax perspective, buybacks have an advantage in that they're only taxed once.... more

7 Stocks for the Good Life

The lowest-risk, most secure way to a great retirement is to invest in dividend-paying blue-chip stocks. That's what I'll attempt to convince you of in the next three minutes, because I think the case is absolutely overwhelming, and it's where I'm putting my family's money. One caveat before we get started: Blue chips are not the way to grab slam-dunk, overnight returns -- you won't be eating caviar and vacationing in Majorca by next week. But because they produce steadily rising payouts and are the most solid companies around, dividend-paying blue chips are the surest way to guarantee that you'll have income when you need it most. Even better, you can prudently and safely use options to boost that income power further, helping you make money in any market.... more

Home Federal Bancorp (HFBLD) Declares $0.06 Quarterly Dividend; 2% Yield

Home Federal Bancorp, Inc. of Louisiana (Nasdaq: HFBL) announced today that its Board of Directors at their meeting on January 12, 2011, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per common share, $0.24 annualized.
The dividend is payable on February 7, 2011 to the shareholders of record at the close of business on January 24, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 22, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 2%.... more

Lennar Corp. (LEN) Declares $0.04 Quarterly Dividend; 0.8% Yield

Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.04 per share, $0.16 annualized. The dividend is payable on February 8, 2011 to holders of record at the close of business on January 21, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 23, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 0.8%.... more

Who's Holding the Top Dividend Stocks?

The Internet provides investors with so much useful and interesting information. I could not imagine going back a decade or so and trying to analyze stocks without the Internet - waiting for quarterly reports to be mailed for owned companies, and calling the investor relations contacts for information on unowned companies. One of my job responsibilities is the statutory reporting for the corporation I work for. Filing 10-Ks, 10-Qs and other such required reports is often tedious, but it gives me a great appreciation of what information is available, including who owns some of the top dividend stocks.In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires institutional investment managers who exercise investment discretion over $100 million or more in Section 13(f) securities to... more

Texas Industries (TXI) Declares $0.075 Quarterly Dividend; 0.7% Yield

Texas Industries, Inc. (NYSE: TXI) today declared a cash dividend of $0.075 per common share, $0.30 annualized. The dividend is payable February 28, 2011 to shareholders of record February 4, 2011. The ex-dividend date is February 2, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 0.7%.... more

Verizon Dividend Analysis: iPhone Deal Puts Carrier in Strong Position

Yesterday we wrote a post about the impacts of the iPhone being offered on Verizon (VZ) but we focused on Apple’s (AAPL) point of view. That being said, Verizon is one of the top dividend stocks in the U.S. and this deal could significantly change the medium and long term perspectives for investors who are looking to build a strong and consistent passive income portfolio. Even in the past, I had considered adding Verizon to my top picks but this latest deal puts the carrier in a great position. How does this change things for Verizon?... more

Vornado (VNO) Raises Qtr. Dividend from 65c to 69c/Share, Yielding 3.28%

Vornado (NYSE: VNO) announced that its Board has boosted its quarterly dividend payment by 6.2% from 65c to 69c per common share. The dividend is payable on Feb. 22 to shareholders of record on Jan. 28. The ex-dividend date is Jan. 26. With shares of Vornado last trading around $84.03, the dividend yield moves from 3.09% to 3.28%.... more