General Dynamics (GD) is a unique dividend growth stock because it has significant exposure to defense markets but is also a major manufacturer of business jets, resulting in a rather diversified stream of cash flow. The company has increased its dividend or 24 straight years and appears likely to join the dividend aristocrats list this spring. [...]
Cardinal Health (CAH) scores extremely well for Dividend Safety (95) and Dividend Growth (91). The company has increased its dividend by 15% per year over the last five years and is a dividend aristocrat that shows no signs of slowing down. With a reasonable earnings multiple of 15.4x, now could be a good time [...]
There's no such thing as a free lunch, and that certainly applies to dividend investors who chase high yield stocks. More often than not, you get what you pay for. BHP Billiton (BHP) is the latest high yield stock to cut its dividend (ConocoPhillips slashed its dividend earlier this month, too). This was BHP's first [...]
Franklin Resources (BEN) increased its dividend by a hefty 20% last week, continuing its dividend growth streak dating back to 1981. This dividend aristocrat has recently fallen on hard times, causing its stock price to drop by 37% over the last year. BEN’s stock now has a dividend yield twice as high as its [...]
A dividend increase is one the surest signs of financial strength and management's confident in the underlying business. Not surprisingly, company's that consistently raise their dividends year after year have historically been some of the best performing stocks in the market. That is one reason why the list of dividend aristocrats is so popular. [...]
We have all been there. One of our stocks is down over 30% from where we bought it, and we know it is time to make a tough decision – should I sell my stock, or is it time to double down? Alternatively, it can be just as hard to decide what to do [...]
Walt Disney (DIS) is the type of business we like to own in our Top 20 Dividend Stocks portfolio. The company has some of the highest scores for Dividend Safety (96) and Dividend Growth (99) in our entire database, and we think Disney’s future is bright. Despite its portfolio of extremely well-known consumer brands [...]
Brown-Forman (BF-B) owns one of the most iconic alcoholic beverage brands in the world – Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. The company has enjoyed substantial growth over its rich operating history. The number of Jack Daniel’s cases sold by Brown-Forman increased from 600,000 in 1965 to roughly 15 million cases in 2015, and the stock’s [...]
Chubb (CB) is one of the best managed insurance companies in the world. Prior to the merger of CB and ACE, these companies had raised their dividends for 33 and 22 consecutive years, respectively. With a forward-looking payout ratio below 30%, we expect the combined company's dividend growth to continue for many more years. While [...]
Pentair (PNR) is a lesser known dividend aristocrat that most recently boosted its dividend by 5%, representing its 40th consecutive year of dividend increases. Weak energy markets, slumping commodity prices, and unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates are wreaking havoc on the company, which has seen its stock price plummet by more than 30% over [...]
Air Products (APD) has rewarded shareholders with 38 consecutive years of dividend increases and is in the process of spinning off a non-core business to create further value. This industrial gas business shares many competitive advantages with other stocks we own in our Top 20 Dividend Stocks portfolio, but is now the time to [...]
Sherwin-Williams (SHW) has annually increased dividends since 1979 and outperformed the market by nearly 14% per year over the last decade. Watching paint dry has been quite rewarding with coatings producer SHW, but past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. As we review SHW for potential inclusion in our Top 20 [...]
PPG Industries (PPG) has rewarded its investors with higher dividend payments for 44 consecutive years. The company’s dividend appears to be one of the safest in the market with high growth potential as well. What makes this blue chip dividend stock so special? Let’s take a closer look. Business Overview PPG’s roots can [...]
ConocoPhillips (COP) is one of the biggest oil producers in the world and the newest case study regarding the dangers of chasing yield (the stock had a dividend yield of 7.7% as of yesterday evening). Despite its $45 billion market cap, $2.4 billion in cash on hand, and single-A credit rating, COP slashed its [...]
Leggett & Platt (LEG) is a blue chip dividend stock that has rewarded investors with 44 consecutive dividend increases. With operations dating back to the 19th century and a 3.1% dividend yield, LEG is an interesting company for dividend investors to analyze. Business Overview LEG was founded in 1883 and patented the first [...]