Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Declares $0.50 Quarterly Dividend; 1.7% Yield

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) today declared a cash dividend on its common stock of $0.50 per share, $2.00 annualized. The dividend is payable on February 1, 2011 on pre-split shares to holders of record as of January 15, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 13, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 1.7%.... more

Dow Dog Dividend Champions

Several articles, both here on Seeking Alpha and elsewhere, have recently discussed the “Dogs of the Dow” strategy, which calls for buying the 10 highest yielding companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average at the end of the year. I decided to compare the Dogs (along with the rest of the components in that index) to my listing of Dividend Champions/Contenders/Challengers, which can be found here. (Note that the November 30 listing will be replaced after Friday's market close.) My thinking was that investors might want to consider not just the current yield, but also the history of each company increasing its dividend on an annual basis, as well as the payout ratio for each company. The data below is from Yahoo, with the exception of the number of years of dividend increases. The... more

Four Dividend Stock Picks for 2011

Back in 2008 I was invited to participate in a friendly competition with several stock bloggers. My list of stocks has returned over 20% in 2009 and 2010. The companies I selected in both years included real estate investment trust Realty Income (O). utility Con Edison (ED), tobacco conglomerate Phillip Morris International (PM) and pipeline MLP Kinder Morgan Partners (KMP). Due to the low interest rates, most high yield stocks have been bid up by yield hungry investors to levels which would make investors think twice before adding new money to these positions.Instead, I have selected four new stocks, which are attractively priced at the moment and could deliver solid earnings growth over the next few years. Dividend growth investing is all about finding the companies which are best... more

Christopher & Banks (CBK) Declares $0.06 Quarterly Dividend; 3.9% Yield

Christopher & Banks Corporation (NYSE: CBK) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per share, $0.24 annualized. The dividend is payable January 26, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 12, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 10, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 3.9%.... more

Fortune Brands' Dividends May Not Last Forever

Whether you're a beginning investor or a near-retiree, the importance of purchasing stocks that pay dividends cannot be overstated. Not only do companies that have quarterly or annual payouts provide you with a steady stream of income, they also have the potential for capital appreciation. Simply put, dividend stocks can give your portfolio what almost no other investment can -- both income and growth. At The Motley Fool, we're avid fans of dividends-- and not just because we like that steady stream of cash. Studies have shown that from 1972 to 2006, stocks in the S&P 500 that don't pay dividends have earned an average annual return of 4.1%; dividend stocks, however, have averaged a whopping 10.1% per year. That is an incredible difference -- one that you'd be crazy to not take advantage... more

The Top Dividend Aristocrats in Capital Goods

Dividend-paying companies are an oasis in the desert of underperforming stocks. They offer solid payouts today and the promise of capital gains tomorrow. According to a study by Ibbotson, reinvested dividends made up about 40% of total stock returns from 1926 to 2006. In fact, dividend investing is so appealing that superinvestor Warren Buffett has made it a significant component of his portfolio. When searching for great dividend stocks, it makes a lot of sense to start with companies that have been playing the dividend game the longest. Standard & Poor's has culled the dividend winners from the also-rans in a list it calls the "Dividend Aristocrats."... more

DR Horton's Dividends May Not Last Forever

Whether you're a beginning investor or a near-retiree, the importance of purchasing stocks that pay dividends cannot be overstated. Not only do companies that have quarterly or annual payouts provide you with a steady stream of income, they also have the potential for capital appreciation. Simply put, dividend stocks can give your portfolio what almost no other investment can -- both income and growth. At The Motley Fool, we're avid fans of dividends -- and not just because we like that steady stream of cash. Studies have shown that from 1972 to 2006, stocks in the S&P 500 that don't pay dividends have earned an average annual return of 4.1%; dividend stocks, however, have averaged a whopping 10.1% per year. That is an incredible difference -- one that you'd be crazy to not take... more

9 Rallying Stocks Boosting Their Dividend Payments

This time last year, companies were slashing dividends left and right, to the tune of $52 billion in investor income. But after the worst year in Wall Street's history for payouts, dividends staged a comeback in 2010, on improved earnings and stronger cash flow. And analysts expect the upward trend to only continue in 2011. Speaking on behalf of S&P Indices, analyst Howard Silverblatt predicts that "over half the S&P 500 issues will pay out more in regular cash payments in 2011 than they paid in 2010," despite the continued uncertainty of the economy. And the passage of Obama's tax package also bodes well for dividend-paying stocks.... more

The Top Dividend Aristocrats in Pharma and Biotech

Dividend-paying companies are an oasis in the desert of underperforming stocks. They offer solid payouts today and the promise of capital gains tomorrow. According to a study by Ibbotson, reinvested dividends made up about 40% of total stock returns from 1926 to 2006. In fact, dividend investing is so appealing that superinvestor Warren Buffett has made dividend stocks a significant component of his portfolio. When searching for great dividend stocks, it makes a lot of sense to start with companies that have been playing the dividend game the longest. Standard & Poor's has culled the dividend winners from the also-rans in a list it calls the "Dividend Aristocrats."... more

5 Dividend Stocks for a Secure Future

Many investors lost money over the past few years, but the endowments at prestigious universities suffered even worse. Investment performance at Harvard and Yale "badly trailed" the results at the average college, as The Wall Street Journal so delicately put it. I'm shocked -- but not because of these endowments' lackluster returns. With exotic strategies and illiquid investments, Princeton registered a 24% loss in 2009, while Cornell took a 26% hit, and Harvard suffered a 27% drop. Compare those losses with the 18% drop for the median large endowment. Worse yet, many such institutions fund their operating expenses with the capital from endowments such as these. If they don't generate capital gains, they may be forced to cut budgets and slash salaries.... more