Founded in 1888, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is one of the world’s largest medical companies, with a portfolio of leading offerings in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic pharmaceuticals. Abbott spun off its research-based pharmaceuticals business AbbVie (ABBV) in January 2013 and has four main business units today. Abbott’s revenues are widely diversified across segments, [...]
Medtronic (MDT) is one of the classic American success stories, having been founded in 1949 by Earl Bakken and his brother-in-law, Palmer Hermundslie, in a Minnesota medical equipment repair shop.Over the course of nearly 70 years, the company has grown into one of the world’s largest medical equipment device companies. Today Medtronic's products help treat [...]
Kraft Heinz (KHC) has roots dating back to 1869, but the company was technically formed in 2015 by the $45 billion merger of Heinz and Kraft that was put together by a partnership of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital. This created the fifth largest food maker in the [...]
Founded in 1937, T. Rowe Price (TROW) is one of the world’s largest investment managers. The company uses fundamental and quantitative analysis to create and manage a wide variety of equity and bond funds, which have historically beaten their indexes and thus attracted consistent inflows of investor capital. The company makes most of its money through [...]
Automatic Data Processing (ADP) was founded in 1949 and is one of the largest providers of human capital management (HCM) solutions in the world. ADP offers a wide range of cloud-based software solutions and services, which companies use to pay, recruit, staff, manage, and retain employees.Over 40 million people around the globe depend on ADP [...]
Blackstone (BX) announced it will convert from a publicly traded partnership to a corporation on July 1, 2019. Investors cheered the move, sending shares of BX higher by 7.5%. Let's review Blackstone's rationale for the change and what it could mean for income investors. Blackstone decided to convert from a partnership to a corporation due to tax [...]
Qualcomm (QCOM) shareholders received good news yesterday: the chip maker and Apple agreed to drop all litigation, sending Qualcomm's stock surging more than 20%. In February 2019 we outlined the significant legal risks Qualcomm's core licensing business faced. I recommend skimming our note for more background on the situation, but essentially Qualcomm was accused by Apple and others of [...]
Chevron (CVX) shares fell 5% on Friday after management announced a $33 billion deal to buy Anadarko Petroleum (APC). As a result of this cash-and-stock acquisition, Chevron's debt load will increase and its payout ratio will rise. Let's take a closer look at why the company wants to buy Anadarko and how the transaction affects Chevron's dividend [...]
Last week Walgreens (WBA) shares fell 13% and reached a five-year low after the pharmacy chain reported a big earnings miss and reduced its guidance. WBA's dividend yield also spiked above 3% to its highest level ever. Let's review why the market has turned so bearish on Walgreens to see if the company's dividend remains [...]
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is one of the world's oldest banking institutions, tracing its roots back to 1799. Today it's the largest bank in the nation, with over 5,100 branches, 16,000 ATMs, and $2.6 trillion in assets. JPMorgan operates in over 100 markets, although about 80% of its revenues are generated in the U.S. The bank has [...]
Founded by Jerome Monroe Smucker in 1897, J. M. Smucker (SJM) has grown into a leading purveyor of various consumer food products and specialty pet foods that can be found in an estimated 92% of U.S. households. The company's main products are coffee, pet food, pet snacks, peanut butter, fruit spreads, shortening and oils, baking [...]
Wells Fargo (WFC) was founded in 1852 and is the fourth largest bank in the country as measured by assets. The bank ended 2018 with $1.3 trillion in total deposits, and its 90 different business lines collectively generated over $86 billion in revenue from a diversified mix of banking, insurance, investment, mortgage, and consumer and [...]
Founded in 1928, Genuine Parts Company (GPC) is one of the largest replacement part makers in the automotive, industrial, office equipment, and electronics industries. The company markets its products in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico through a large network including over 100 North American auto and industrial distribution centers and over 6,700 [...]
Founded in 1940, McDonald's (MCD) is the world's largest quick-serve restaurant chain, with about 37,000 locations in more than 100 countries. Approximately 93% of its locations are franchised, meaning the stores are owned and operated by independent business owners. The company's goal is to eventually have 95% of its stores franchised. Under a typical franchise [...]
Hormel Foods (HRL) was founded in 1891 and has proven to be one of the most resilient food providers in the world. The company’s brands include Skippy peanut butter, SPAM meat, Dinty Moore stew, Wholly Guacamole dips, Jennie-O turkey, and numerous Hormel-branded meat products. Perishable products (fresh meats, frozen items, refrigerated meals) account for 56% [...]