Retiring Soon? Here Are 3 Stellar Dividend Picks

Retiring in the next 10 years? Chances are, your portfolio probably isn't anywhere close to where it should be. Instead of pressing the panic button (like most folks), read ahead and I'll explain how you should take a few careful steps to get back on track.... more

2 Dividend Stocks Building Future Yield and 10 Going Ex-Dividend

Driven by computers that cost more than the average person will earn in their lifetime the investment markets move at light speed. To keep pace, hedge funds, mutual funds, institutional investors and multi-billion dollar money managers spend large sums of money on high-tech tools to give them an edge. So, what chance does a small individual investor have?... more

Building a Socially Responsible Dividend Portfolio

It’s always a challenge, isn’t it? We hear about social investing, about making the world a better place, but it’s easier said than done. Through our actions, we can make a big difference in the world and while one investor making “socially responsible” choices will have a small impact, grouped together they can have a much more significant one. It is the same as recycling, isn’t it? One person recycling would have a very limited difference but the green movement is starting to have a very real impact not only on the environment but on how businesses are being run. Of course, the primary goal of investing is making good returns. Just as the primary goals of making income are to save and spend it. But many of us still take time to make charitable donations in order to have a... more

Cooper Co.'s (COO) Declares $0.03 Semi-Annual Dividend; 0.1% Yield

The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NYSE: COO) has declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.03 cents per share, $0.06 annualized. The dividend is payable on February 7, 2011, to stockholders of record on January 19, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 17, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 0.1%.... more

Celanese Corp. (CE) Declares $0.05 Quarterly Dividend; 0.5% Yield

Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE) has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share, $0.20 annualized. The dividend is payable on February 1, 2011, to shareholders of record as of January 18, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 14, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 0.5%.... more

Marcus Corp. (MCS) Declares $0.085 Quarterly Dividend; 2.6% Yield

The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS) today declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.085 per share of common stock, $0.34 annualized. The dividend will be paid February 15, 2011 to shareholders of record on January 25, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 23, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 2.6%.... more

Universal Insurance (UVE) Declares $0.10 Quarterly Dividend; 7.9% Yield

Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (AMEX: UVE) announced today that its Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.10 per share on its common stock, $0.40 annualized. The dividend is payable on April 7, 2011, to shareholders of record on March 11, 2011. The ex-dividend date is March 9, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 7.9%.... more

Four Top Areas for Dividend Stocks in 2011

I’m mostly a ground-up, fundamental, long-term investor. This means that I pick individual companies, analyze them quantitatively and qualitatively, and then decide whether or not to invest in them. I care little about short-term problems, and I view most financial media as noise. My focus is on the long-term growth prospects of the business, the quality of the products or services, the strength of the economic moat and of the balance sheet, the shareholder friendliness of the company culture, and the valuation of the stock in comparison to all of this. I also try to look at the bigger picture, and find industries that are likely to be relevant and growing for the foreseeable future, and/or industries that as a whole have low stock valuations compared to company fundamentals. My... more

Dividend Payments Jumped by $26.5 Billion in 2010

Investing in dividend stocks generated major returns for investors in 2010 as U.S. companies added $26.5 billion to dividend payments, with $8 billion of that increased payout coming in the fourth quarter. The rise in dividend payments is seen as a strong indication that companies are indeed recovering from the dismal economic environment of the last two years, and analysts at Standard & Poor's expect that the trend will continue in 2011, providing a windfall to investors that could lift equity markets higher. For the year, S&P reported that 1,729 companies increased dividend payments, compared to 1,191 companies recording increases in 2009. Only 145 companies decreased dividend payments in 2010, versus the 804 that did so in 2009. The result was this year's net gain, a far cry from... more

3 High-Yield Ethanol Stocks

A company called Qteros, which is backed by George Soros, has developed a process to use microbes to create enzymes that more efficiently change plant waste to ethanol. The company has just entered into a joint venture with India-based Praj Industries. Qteros is privately held, but there are plenty of other companies involved in ethanol production and products which are publicly traded, over 15 of which pay dividends according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Here are a few examples. Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has a corn processing division which produces ethanol from corn. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 10.3, a forward P/E of 9.3 and a yield of 2%. Although revenues were up 12.6% for the latest quarter, earnings were down 30.4%.... more