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These are our most recent articles. Also see which stocks have been this week’s best and worst performers.
Qualcomm (QCOM): Safe, Growing Dividends and a Solid Yield
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 2016 estimated earnings. These are the types of characteristics we like to see for investments in our Top 20 Dividend Stocks portfolio. However, with technology trends changing more rapidly and becoming harder to identify, should Qualcomm make the cut? Business Analysis Qualcomm is a leader in the development and commercialization of digital communication technologies called CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) and OFDMA (Orthogonal [...]
Wells Fargo’s Reputation Takes a Hit: Now What?
If there is one thing I have learned about investing in stocks, it is to expect the unexpected. Life is filled with uncertainty and surprises, and companies in our investment portfolios are no different. I steer clear of most investment opportunities because they are outside of my (limited) circle of competence. For this reason, I largely avoid the financial sector because I have no good way of understanding the quality of loans on a bank's balance sheet or an insurer's level of underwriting risk. Given the opaque nature of most financial firms' financial statements, any investment requires a lot of trust in the management team to appropriately price and manage risk. Financial leverage used by banks [...]
Meredith (MDP): 23 Straight Years of Dividend Growth and a High Yield
Meredith Corporation (MDP) has never exactly been a household name, but many of its brands are. The company is an old school magazine business that has been a chameleon over the years, constantly evolving and growing into a $1.6 billion multimedia powerhouse with a lineup of television stations, magazines, websites, and online apps. For income investors, Meredith has been a reliable dividend-paying stock since 1947 and increased its payout for 23 consecutive years. Furthermore, the stock offers an above-average 3.9% dividend yield and has seen its dividend compound by 12.6% per year over the last decade. Higher-yielding dividend stocks usually do not record strong dividend growth, and MDP’s stock also trades at a modest 14x forward [...]
Annuities: Pros and Cons Versus Dividend Stocks
Protecting the money you’ve worked so hard to save is one of the most important priorities, particularly if you are nearing, or have already begun, your retirement. Considering the myriad of available investment options, it’s easy to become confused and overwhelmed. Two of the most common choices for maximizing retirement savings are dividend stocks and annuities. That being said, having at least a basic understanding of how annuities work, the pros and cons of annuities, and how they compare to dividend stocks, will reduce potential confusion and help with better planning. What are Annuities? To put it simply, annuities are retirement investments offered by life insurance companies. Several types of annuities exist, each with its own [...]