Dividend Stocks

Much of the United States felt the sting of extremely cold weather this month. Perhaps no part of the country was hurt more than Texas, which saw millions go without power. This has caused energy prices to surge higher. For investors, that puts the focus on energy stocks. Consider that WTI crude increased 6.5% over

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on Feb. 22, 2021, to remove erroneous information about Saturn. In all the electric car hoopla that Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) inspires, Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM) has been ignored. TM stock continues to be a low-volume name. About 330,000 shares trade on an average day, while TSLA stock averages almost 41 million.

When it comes to income investing, we think investors should look for blue-chip stocks that have a few key features that go beyond the ordinary dividend stock. In particular, we prefer dividend stocks that have the ability to grow their payouts over time, as well as those that have very safe and reliable payouts, even

Interest rates may be on the rise right now, but they are still near historic lows. So, as it continues to be a near-zero interest rate environment, dividend stocks have become even more important to investors searching for yield. The problem? Unlike bonds, there’s a lot more risk in depending on equities for income. Bond

Income investors are typically focused on dividends first and foremost. There is good reason for this — high-quality dividend growth stocks like the Dividend Aristocrats have often produced superior long-term returns with lower volatility than the S&P 500. Top dividend stocks have the ability to provide income to shareholders year after year, even during recessions.

It’s good to go out on top, and Ed Stack should know. Stack announced he will retire as CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS) in February, after 36 years at the helm. His father was the eponymous Dick. But when Ed joined the “chain” it had just two stores. Now it has 850 and DKS stock

2020 has been a year like no other. Source: iQoncept/shutterstock.com Tragic wildfires in Australia and California. Social justice protests and riots across the U.S. A contested presidential election. A pandemic that shuttered schools and businesses around the world during the spring, as well as reignited restrictions with the fall resurgence of the virus. A subsequent

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is one of America’s most well-known brands, and it also has the largest market capitalization of any healthcare company in the U.S. But is JNJ stock a buy today? Source: Alexander Tolstykh / Shutterstock.com In fact, the 134-year-old company still has quite a bit going for it. It is broadly diversified,

If this month’s earth-shattering vaccine news from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) has you thinking about buying the stock because it’s destined for monster gains – think again. PFE stock is not a growth play. Source: Manuel Esteban / Shutterstock.com It’s a cash-flow vehicle. But don’t take my word for it. Let the market be your guide. The

Shares of Merck (NYSE:MRK) stock remain 12% below where they started the year, while the value of other drug companies have soared. Source: Atmosphere1 / Shutterstock.com While Merck is one of the most respected drug makers out there, it was seen to be behind the curve when it comes to the novel coronavirus. It is

The world has been paralyzed by fear of Covid-19 since March, as case numbers continue to climb. The decimation on Wall Street once the quarantine started was also extremely harsh, but by contrast, brief; the pain in equities lasted but for a blink. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) stock fell 30% before bottoming out in March. And then,

Big dividends. And I mean really big dividends. Yields that are multiples of the average of the members of the S&P 500 Index. But big dividends are worthless if the companies behind them aren’t up to sustaining them, or if the dividend stocks aren’t working in the market. A dividend yield won’t be worth much

Many economic sectors have seen revenue and profits collapse over the course of 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Industries such as energy, restaurants and retailers are among the hardest-hit areas of the economy. But not all industries are struggling – alcohol stocks continue to generate strong profits and steady growth throughout the year. The

Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, manage, own, or operate income-producing real estate. These trusts typically own various residential and commercial properties, including hotels, apartments, warehouses, and others. The primary appeal of REITs is their track record of consistently paying large dividends that increase over time. REITs are often more liquid than traditional stocks as

It’s said that someone who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. What about a landlord who owns their tenants? That’s what we’re going to find out, as Simon Property Group (NYSE:SPG), the largest operator of shopping malls, continues to buy bankrupt retailers. Over the last few years, the company behind SPG stock bought

Last month I wrote that BP (NYSE:BP) was at least 20% undervalued based on its free cash flow (FCF) and its new lower dividend. I still believe that BP stock is at least 22% too low based on its new situation. Source: FotograFFF / Shutterstock.com For example, on Oct. 27, the company reported its Q3

One of the first things a novice investor does is load up on dividend stocks. But I think it’s a wise strategy, even for experienced investors. We all should value safety and security, especially after the novel coronavirus pandemic sent the stock markets back by $5 trillion earlier this year. That’s why you see increased

Every major sector has felt the wrath of the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, some industries have completely buckled under pressure — in particular, oil and gas. Oil stocks are a major casualty of the current crisis, and it’s hard to find a name that is not currently flat or down on the year as of

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) stock gained 12.7% in trading Monday. But that gain is not nearly enough to offset what has been a truly stunning decline. Source: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com Even with the rally, XOM stock has lost 47% of its value so far in 2020. The S&P 500 has gained more than 10%. Obviously,

It’s dangerous to buy dividend stocks solely for their high yields. Even a cursory look at recent performance shows the risk. Widely-held names like IBM (NYSE:IBM), AT&T (NYSE:T), and Altria (NYSE:MO) for years have seemed attractive due to dividend yields that often cleared 5%. All three stocks have seen steady declines for years now. To