10 Stocks With a Sustainable Dividend Growth Rate

In the past we have looked at the importance of a company’s ability to sustain its dividend. However, as an investor in dividend growth stocks, it is not enough to simply sustain the dividend - I want to own companies that are capable of sustained dividend growth. Needless to say, this is a little more difficult to evaluate, but here are a few important things to consider… Revenue Growth... more

Crown Crafts Inc. (CRWS) Posts Stronger Q2 Results; Declares $0.02 Quarterly Dividend; 1.8% Yield

Crown Crafts Inc. (Nasdaq: CRWS) reports Q1 EPS of $0.08, versus $0.06 reported for the same period a year ago. Revenue for the quarter was $17.2 million, compared to $17.7 million in Q209. The Company also today announced that its Board of Directors, at its meeting on August 10, 2010, declared a regular quarterly cash dividend on the Company's Series A common stock of $0.02 per share. The dividend will be paid on October 1, 2010 to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 10, 2010. The ex-dividend date is September 8, 2010. Yield on the dividend is 1.8%.... more

Monro Muffler (MNRO) Declares $0.09 Quarterly Dividend; 0.9% Yield

Monro Muffler Brake, Inc. (Nasdaq: MNRO) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per common share, $0.36 annualized. The dividend is payable on September 17, 2010 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 7, 2010. The ex-dividend date is September 3, 2010. Yield on the dividend is 0.9%.... more

The 25 Highest-Yielding Stocks

Dividend investing is popular again. Investors have taken to heart Jeremy Siegel’s studies, which show that higher-yielding stocks tend to offer greater returns over time than low- or no-yield stocks. The highest dividend yields can be very tantalizing. As long as a stock yielding 15% doesn’t lose value, you’ll make 15% in one year! In more cases than not, however, an astronomical yield is a bad sign for a stock. Since dividend yields and stock prices move in opposite directions, a high yield usually means that investors have begun to worry about the business, and driven down its stock price.However, certain types of companies, such as REITs have to pay out most of their income as dividends, so their yields will be higher than "normal." Dividends are not guaranteed; you need to... more

Dividends Aren't Enough: Fast-Food Stocks

I love cash. As an investor, nothing makes me happier than a company that returns money to shareholders, rather than spending it recklessly on a CEO’s pet projects or an ill-fated acquisition. Historically, investors have often looked at a stock’s dividend yield to identify these shareholder-friendly enterprises. But I prefer a slightly different metric -- one proven to further maximize investor returns. A 2007 study in The Journal of Finance suggests that investors should also factor net share repurchases into the equation, through a metric called the net payout ratio. According to the authors of the study, this ratio not only identifies companies that are paying back investors, but also predicts future equity returns better than the dividend yield.... more

Dividends Aren't Enough: Wal-Mart's Net Payout Yield

I love cash. As an investor, nothing makes me happier than a company that returns money to shareholders, rather than spending it recklessly on a CEO’s pet projects or an ill-fated acquisition. Historically, investors have often looked at a stock’s dividend yield to identify these shareholder-friendly enterprises. But I prefer a slightly different metric -- one proven to further maximize investor returns. A 2007 study in The Journal of Finance suggests that investors should also factor net share repurchases into the equation, through a metric called the net payout ratio. According to the authors of the study, this ratio not only identifies companies that are paying back investors, but also predicts future equity returns better than the dividend yield.... more

7 European Stocks Paying You Cash

It’s easy to count the ways in which investors have gotten spooked in 2010. In no particular order, ordinary folks looking to the market for wealth have had to deal with the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, the mysterious "flash crash" in May, the BP oil spill, and concerns about slowing growth in developing markets like China. With all that turmoil, it’s no surprise that the market has been flat. But let’s not complain too much; in Europe, things are much worse. After the massive bailout orchestrated for debt-ridden Greece, downgrades swept through countries like Portugal and Spain. Governments then demanded banking stress tests, as creditors stopped trusting big financial institutions’ balance sheets. True, things have calmed down a bit, but most of the European indices are... more

Dividend Report Card: AstraZeneca

In the dividend report card series, we analyze financial metrics to begin answering the following questions about a company’s dividend: Over time, has this company steadily increased its payouts? How sustainable is the dividend? Does the company have room to further increase the dividend? For a full explanation of each category, click here for a tutorial.... more

You Need These Stocks in Your IRA

Smart investors use every tool they have to protect their hard-earned money. When it comes to retirement savings, there’s no better place to save than a tax-favored account like an IRA. But once you have money in your IRA, how can you make sure you take maximum advantage of the benefits it offers? The most important part of your portfolioFor many investors, your IRA represents the biggest pot of investable money you have. Your home may be the most valuable asset you own, but as we’ve all learned all too well in recent years, you can’t count on your home to grow in value -- and it can be difficult even to access the equity you have in your home, assuming you’re fortunate enough to have any equity at the moment.... more

Why 70 Energy Stocks Pay Bigger Dividends Than Exxon

Don’t get me wrong. ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) pays a nice 2.8% dividend yield. It’s just that in the energy sector, 2.8% isn’t that large.... more