When it comes to high-quality dividend growth stocks, investors naturally gravitate to blue chips like dividend aristocrats and dividend kings. After all, no company can increase its dividend for at least 25 or 50 years in a row without a certain combination of highly admirable characteristics. These traits tend to include stable and predictable [...]
While fast-growing momentum stocks might get the headlines, some of the best long-term investments are often far less exciting dividend growth stalwarts such as 3M (MMM). This industrial powerhouse has made countless investors amazingly wealthy over the years (12.9% total returns vs 9.1% for the S&P 500 over the last 22 years) thanks to its disciplined [...]
Thomson Reuters (TRI) has raised its dividend for 24 straight years and is arguably one of the safest sources of income in the market for investors living on dividends in retirement. The company’s business benefits from selling mission-critical solutions and generates significant amounts of recurring revenue (86% of sales), which results in very predictable [...]
General Mills (GIS) is a blue chip stock that has paid uninterrupted dividends for 117 years. The company’s dividend has increased each year since 2004 and boasts a 10.4% annual growth rate over the last decade. Despite General Mills’ impressive history, the company’s stock price is down more than 15% since early July [...]
You won’t read about Vectren in the headlines. But for more than 50 years in a row, Vectren has quietly paid and raised its dividend. It’s a feat that’s been done by just 21 other companies publicly traded in the U.S. Vectren is a utility company, and utility companies are often attractive to [...]
Many investors think that the only way to build truly substantial long-term wealth is to buy the next high-flying tech stock such as Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), or Alphabet (GOOG). However, as you can see below, boring but slow and steady growing blue chip dividend stocks, especially the dividend aristocrats and dividend kings such [...]
I came across a statistic last week that sounded unbelievable until I thought more about my own behavior. In 2015, 205 million U.S. consumers shopped online. The growth of e-commerce is nothing new, and the number of online shoppers will continue to rise. I wasn’t surprised by this fact. Instead, a recent survey [...]
Qualcomm (QCOM) has metrics that make many dividend investors salivate. The company offers a 3.4% yield, has increased its dividend every year since 2003, and has recorded annual dividend growth in excess of 20% over the last five years. Furthermore, Qualcomm’s stock is down roughly 25% from its 2014 highs and trades around 16.5x [...]
This week, I will be taking a look at the dividend safety of Southern Company (SO). If there are other companies you would like me to analyze for dividend safety, please leave a comment at the bottom of this article. My full thesis on Southern can be seen here, but I will be focusing [...]
In the midst of the second-longest bull market ever recorded, many conservative dividend investors are feeling increasingly anxious. The S&P 500's forward P/E ratio of 17.1 sits approximately 20% above its 10-year average. To make matters even more uncomfortable for income investors, lower-for-longer interest rates have made safe haven companies such as utilities and [...]
Merck is a blue-chip dividend stock that has paid a consistent dividend since 1970 and has grown its dividend at a 1.8% annual rate over the last 10 years. They have been able to continually pay a dividend during difficult times thanks to a recession-resistant business model, attractive operating margins, and reliable free cash flow [...]
Kroger (KR) is starting to get the attention of value and dividend growth investors alike after its year-to-date stock price decline of 22%. Kroger’s stock now trades for less than 15x forward earnings guidance and offers double-digit annual total return potential if management’s growth guidance is to be trusted. Even better, most of [...]
Coca-Cola (KO) is one of Warren Buffet’s dividend stocks that has paid a consistent dividend since 1920 and increased its payout for the past 54 years. More recently Coke has grown its dividend at a 9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the last 10 years. Its extraordinary track record and stable business model put [...]
Are there any dividend stocks you are considering buying but want to be sure their dividends are safe before going any further? Leave a comment at the end of this article with a stock you would like me to evaluate for dividend safety. This week, I will be taking a look at the [...]
After failing to increase its dividend in June like it has in past years and continuing to report double-digit declines in sales and earnings this week, Caterpillar has many dividend investors wondering about the safety of its current payout. Caterpillar’s revenue has declined from $66 billion in 2012 to a projected $40 billion in [...]