Duke Energy’s (DUK) history dates back to the early 1900s, and the company is the largest electric utility in the country today, serving approximately 7.7 million electric customers and 1.6 million gas customers across the Southeast and Midwest regions of the U.S. Regulated electric utilities and infrastructure account for 85% of Duke Energy’s earnings, but [...]

Qualcomm (QCOM), an embattled tech giant, has seen its share of drama over the years. Most recently, the company's stock has sold off 30% since early September 2018, causing its dividend yield to soar to a record high near 5%. Let's take a look at Qualcomm's latest slump to review if anything appears to have [...]

Dominion Energy (D) and its predecessors have delivered energy since 1898. Today the company is one of America's largest diversified utilities with a customer base of 7.5 million gas and electric customers in 18 states. In recent years Dominion has grown through various acquisitions including its 2016 purchase of Questar (natural gas distributor) for $5.9 [...]

Many companies grow through acquisitions, but Wall Street is often skeptical of big deals given the risks involved. In May 2018, International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) announced it was buying rival Frutarom in a $7.1 billion cash-and-stock deal. Given that IFF's market cap at the time was just over $12 billion, this qualified as a big acquisition. [...]

Founded in 1885, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is the world’s largest medical conglomerate. With more than 250 subsidiaries operating in over 60 countries, Johnson & Johnson’s three major business units provide it with a diversified mix of revenue, earnings, and cash flow. Here are the company’s operating segments: Pharmaceuticals (50% of sales, 61% of pretax [...]

Founded in 1849, Pfizer (PFE) is one of the world's largest drugmakers, with medications sold in over 125 countries. The company's annual sales exceed $50 billion and are grouped into three business segments: Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals (56% of sales): produces patented medicines to treat various therapeutic areas, including internal medicine, vaccines, oncology, inflammation and immunology, and rare [...]

Many investors desire to live off safe and growing dividends during retirement, allowing them to worry less about stock market fluctuations and recessions. To this end, many blue-chip dividend stocks have impressive track records of not only maintaining or growing their payouts during market downturns, but also outperforming the broader market. Dividend aristocrats, S&P 500 companies [...]

Founded in 1987, Gilead Sciences (GILD) is one of the world's leading biotech companies. The firm operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, researching, manufacturing, and distributing various medications to treat HIV/AIDs, liver diseases, and immune, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases. Gilead has historically focused on antiviral products for infectious diseases, which made up 84% of [...]

AbbVie (ABBV) was spun off from Abbott Laboratories (ABT) in 2013 as a standalone biopharmaceutical company focused on four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology, and neuroscience. The company's drugs treat conditions such as chronic autoimmune diseases in rheumatology, gastroenterology, and dermatology; oncology, including blood cancers; virology, including hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus [...]

Cardinal Health's (CAH) stock price has slumped nearly 40% over the last two years, driving its dividend yield to a record high of 4.4% in late 2018. Dividend aristocrats such as Cardinal Health are often owned under the assumption that they will generate safe, growing income while recording healthy total returns and low stock price volatility [...]

Founded in 1984, National Retail Properties (NNN) is one of America's oldest triple net lease, or NNN, REITs. The company follows a "sale-leaseback" model in which it will buy a property from an existing tenant and then rent the property back to the former owner under long-term (15 to 20-year) contracts. The average remaining lease [...]

Founded in 1919 in Richmond, Virginia, Altria (MO) is America’s largest tobacco company. The business split into three separate firms in 2007 and 2008 (Altria, Phillip Morris International, and Kraft), with Altria retaining all domestic tobacco operations. Altria has exclusive U.S. rights to sell cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro, Parliament, Virginia Slims, and Benson & [...]

Philip Morris International (PM) was spun off from Altria (MO) in 2008, with Altria serving the U.S. and Philip Morris owning the international rights to all of Altria’s most famous brands, including Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Bond Street, Chesterfield, Lark, Muratti, Next, and Red & White. Philip Morris markets its cigarette brands to [...]

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, or 3M (MMM), was founded in 1902 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The global industrial conglomerate markets over 60,000products used in homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals in more than 200 countries around the world. 3M is a highly diversified company with five main business segments that cover over 45 technology platforms, ranging from [...]

Realty Income (O) was founded in 1969 and is one of the largest REITs in America. The company owns more than 5,600 properties located in 49 states and leases its buildings to 260 commercial tenants operating in 48 diverse industries. In recent years the REIT has begun diversifying into non-retail properties, including offices (4% of [...]