Watsco (WSO) Declares $0.52 Quarterly Dividend; 3.3% Yield

Watsco, Inc. (NYSE: WSO) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.52 per outstanding share, $2.08 annualized. The cash dividend is payable on January 31, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 14, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 12, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 3.3%.... more

Aflac's High Valuation, Low Dividend Yields and Competition Are Keeping Me Away

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of AFLAC Incorporated (AFL). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis: Company Description: Aflac Incorporated provides supplemental health and life insurance in the U.S. and Japan. Products are marketed at worksites and help fill gaps in primary insurance coverage. Approximately 75% of revenues comes from Japan and 25% from the U.S. Fair Value: I consider four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:... more

Six Stocks Going Ex-Dividend Second Week of January

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable Excel list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps... more

Bank Stocks Outperformed in 2010: Which Will Raise Dividends First in 2011?

In their fashion, bank stocks performed remarkably well in 2010, outperforming all the major indexes. The KBW Bank Index (BKX) ended at 52.21, +22.2% higher and handily outperforming the Nasdaq (+16.9%), S&P500 (+12.8%), and DJIA (11.0%). The BKX fell -3.63% and -50.0% in 2009 and 2008, respectively. That bank stocks outperformed isn’t surprising. Having fallen farther, bank stocks had more catching up to do. But fundamentals clearly improved. Banks recapitalized. Credit cost fell, and earnings grew. The yield curve was consecutively steep, flatter, then steep again at year-end. But for the President’s unfortunate “fat cat” rhetoric in late 2009, the SEC’s regulatory attack on Goldman Sachs in April, and the Congress’ mid-year “reform” of the financial industry, no doubt... more

Dividend Champions Smackdown VIII

Dividend Champions Smackdown VIIIIn previous installments of the Smackdown series, I screened the Dividend Champions list of companies that have paid higher dividends for at least 25 straight years (which can be found here) using fundamental factors that are important to dividend-oriented investors, such as yield, Payout ratio, and price. This time, I decided to focus on the Dividend Growth Rates (or DGRs), including the newly added 1- and 3-year columns. So I screened as follows:... more

Top 5 January Ex-Dividend Dates to Watch

Below are the approximate ex-dividend dates for the month of January 2011 for companies that appear on our Dividend Achiever, Nasdaq 100, Dow Jones Transportation Index and International Dividend Achiever Watch Lists. All companies are ranked by ex-dividend dates. The complete list can be found here.... more

Deep Drilling for Dividend Stocks: Is SeaDrill Still Undervalued?

New week, same dilemma - finding undervalued dividend stocks in this latest rally. This rally has seen the prices of many dividend paying stocks run up quite a bit. Is a stock still undervalued when it's risen over 41% year to date, like SeaDrill (SDRL)? When you look at a stock's PEG ratio, (P/E divided by EPS Growth), the only thing that can counteract a rising "P" (Price), is strong EPS growth.... more

Year End Dividend Champions

The Dividend Champions spreadsheet (and PDF) will be updated through 12/31/10 after Friday's market close and will be posted at its usual location. Note that all references to Champions mean companies that have paid higher dividends for at least 25 straight years; Contenders have streaks of 10-24 years; Challengers have streaks of 5-9 years. During the past month, I have been working on major structural changes, some of which were suggested by readers, as well as updating the listings for dividend increases and other announcements. Listed below are those changes, along with what's ahead in 2011.... more

The Most Promising Dividends in Restaurants

Dividend payers deserve a berth in any long-term stock portfolio. But seemingly attractive dividend yields are not always as fetching as they may appear. Let's see which companies in the restaurant industry offer the most promising dividends. Yields and growth rates and payout ratios, oh my!Before we get to those companies, though, you should understand just why you'd want to own dividend payers. These stocks can contribute a huge chunk of growth to your portfolio in good times, and bolster it during market downturns.... more

Pharma Ups the Dividend Ante

There's no way to sugarcoat this: It was not a pretty year for pharmaceutical companies. While the S&P saw substantial gains over the last year, with the exception of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) and Novartis (NYSE: NVS), every other major pharmaceutical company listed on the U.S. exchange saw their shares decrease. And neither of the two that were in positive territory actually surpassed the S&P 500.... more