Yield and Shield Demand Underpinning MLPs - Kevin Smith

Master limited partnership (MLP) yields are down due to unprecedented investment demand in the space and the bullish distribution growth outlook, according to Raymond James Analyst Kevin Smith. Focusing on upstream MLPs, he says "consolidation is sure to continue." In this exclusive interview with "The Energy Report," Kevin talks about one MLP he rates a strong buy, as well as some others with positive outlooks. The Energy Report: Kevin, let's talk about MLPs. What's your near-term forecast for MLP yields? It seems they are being compressed some right now.... more

Marine Petroleum Trust: Profit From Surge in Oil Price Through Attractive Dividends

Oil hit a fresh two-year high this past trading week, reaching upwards of $88 a barrel. One way to profit from the current "black gold rush" is to find growing oil companies that also pay attractive dividends. Marine Petroleum Trust (Nasdaq: MARPS) is one of these gems.... more

PACCAR (PCAR) Declares $0.12 Quarterly Dividend; $0.30 Special Dividend

PACCAR, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCAR) has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per common share, $0.48 annualized. The dividend is payable on March 7, 2011, to stockholders of record at the close of business on February 17, 2011. The ex-dividend date is February 15, 2011. Yield on the dividend is 0.9%. The company also declared a $0.30 special dividend. The extra dividend is payable on December 29, 2010 to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 17, 2010. The ex-dividend date is December 15, 2010. Yield on the dividend is 0.5%.... more

MasterCard (MA) Declares $0.15 Quarterly Dividend; 0.2% Yield

MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per Class A common share, $0.60 annualized. The dividend is payable February 9, 2011 to holders of record of as of January 10, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 6, 2010. Yield on the dividend is 0.2%.... more

First Interstate (FIBK) Declares $0.1125 Quarterly Dividend; 3.1% Yield

First Interstate BancSystem, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: FIBK) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.1125 per common share, $0.45 annualized. The dividend is payable on January 17, 2011 to owners of record on January 3, 2011. The ex-dividend date is December 30, 2010. Yield on the dividend is 3.1%.... more

Flexsteel Industries (FLXS) Declares $0.075 Quarterly Dividend; 1.8% Yield

Flexsteel Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLXS) has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, $0.30 annualized. The dividend is payable January 3, 2011 to shareholders of record as of December 17, 2010. The ex-dividend date is December 15, 2010. Yield on the dividend is 1.8%.... more

11 High Yield Dividend Champions With Staying Power

This article is part of a regular series in which I focus on the US Dividend Champions, a list compiled and tracked at DRIP Investing. The list is comprised of stocks which have increased their dividend payout for at least 25 consecutive years. As I have shown on my site, there are several ways to invest and this strategy is but just one in what I believe should be a "basket" of strategies from which to allocate a portfolio. However, I consider the method detailed below, which combines Dividend Champions with 2 simple ranking tools, one of the most effective ways to filter for high quality dividend paying stocks. Some studies have shown that the, highest yielding, low payout stocks perform better over time than stocks with higher payouts and lower yields. I originally cited a Credit... more

Emergent Group (LZR) Declares $0.50 Special Dividend, $0.40 Regular Dividend

Emergent Group Inc. (AMEX: LZR) has declared a special, one-time cash dividend of $0.50 per share on its common stock. They also declared a regular dividend of $0.40 per share. The dividend is payable December 27, 2010 to shareholders of record December 17, 2010. The ex-dividend date is December 15, 2010. Yield on the special dividend is 7.8%. Yield on the regular dividend is 6.6%.... more

Toro (TTC) Reports Better-Than-Expected Q4 Results; Adds 3M Shares to Buyback; Raises Qtr. Dividend to 20c/Share; Guides Q1, FY11

Toro Co. (NYSE: TTC) reports Q4 EPS of $0.10, 5 cents better than the analyst estimate of $0.05. Revenue for the quarter came in at $337.3 million, versus the consensus estimate of $329.27 million. Adds 3 million shares to its current buyback program. Raises its quarterly dividend to 20c per common share. Sees Q1 EPS of about 40c, vs. the consensus of 40c. Sees FY11 EPS of about $3.20 on sales which will be up about 5%. The Street is currently looking for FY11 EPS of $3.27.... more

Eight Stocks Going Ex-Dividend Third Week of December

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