Thursday, November 21, 2013

5 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014

LONDON -- BAE Systems� (LSE: BA  ) (NASDAQOTH: BAESY  ) and�Vodafone Group� (LSE: VOD  ) (NASDAQ: VOD  ) �operate in completely separate industries, but both companies have an attractive track record of providing high dividend yields.

The two firms also have another similarity -- both depend quite heavily on the substantial income they receive from their American businesses, without which they might struggle to fund their coveted dividend payouts.

I own both shares myself, but am looking top up some of my holdings -- so which of these two high yielders looks the best buy today?

Vodafone vs. BAE Systems
I'm going to start with a look at a few key statistics that can be used to provide a quick comparison of these two companies, based on their most recent annual results:

� Vodafone BAE Systems Price to earnings ratio 14.2 11.7 Dividend yield 6.9%
(4.9% without special dividend) 5.1% 5-year average dividend growth rate 7.1% 8.8% Net gearing 32% -10% (net cash)

Vodafone plunged into a loss in the first half of this year, thanks to a hefty 5.9 billion pounds impairment on the value of its operations in Spain and Italy.

5 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: Public Storage(PSA)

Public Storage operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). It engages in the acquisition, development, ownership, and operation of self-storage facilities in the United States and Europe. The company?s self-storage facilities offer storage spaces for lease on a month-to-month basis for personal and business use. Public Storage also has interests in commercial properties containing commercial and industrial rental space; facilities that lease storage containers; and ancillary operations, which include reinsurance of policies against losses to goods stored by its self-storage tenants, retail operations comprising merchandise sales and truck rental operations. As of December 31, 2008, the company had interests in 2,012 self-storage facilities with approximately 127 million net rentable square feet in 38 states; and 181 self-storage facilities with approximately 10 million net rentable square feet in 7 western European nations. It also had direct and indirect equity int erests in approximately 21 million net rentable square feet of commercial space located in 11 states in the U.S. As a REIT, the company would not be subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. Public Storage was founded in 1971 and is based in Glendale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Friday

    Earnings Expected From: Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX), OM Group, Inc. (NYSE: OMG), Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) Economic Releases Expected: �US ISM manufacturing index, Canadian manufacturing PMI, British manufacturing PMI, Norwegian unemployment rate

    Posted-In: Bank Of England Federal ReserveNews Eurozone Commodities Previews Global Economics Federal Reserve After-Hours Center Markets Trading Ideas Best of Benzinga

  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    Public Storage's(PSA) third-quarter profit rose 7.7% on the strength of higher occupancy and rents. Meanwhile, the real estate investment trust’s funds from operations, an important metric in the sector, grew during the period.

  • [By Amanda Alix]

    Is it risky to be putting so much money into an as-yet unproven business model? Some may think so, including investors. Noting the tumble in stock price that newbies like Silver Bay and American Residential have suffered recently, Colony Capital (NYSE: CLNY  ) chief Thomas Barrack postponed�the IPO of his new single-family rental company, Colony American Homes. Similarly, Public Storage (NYSE: PSA  ) has filed for an IPO, too, hoping to take its American Homes 4 Rent unit public -- at some unannounced, future date. In the meantime, American Homes can rely on its $500 million credit facility�with Wells Fargo, which may be bumped up to $1 billion if necessary.

5 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings(LH)

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as an independent clinical laboratory company in the United States. The company offers a range of testing services used by the medical profession in routine testing, patient diagnosis, and in the monitoring and treatment of disease, as well as specialty testing services. Its routine tests include blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, thyroid tests, Pap tests, HIV tests, microbiology cultures and procedures, and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests. The company?s specialty tests and related services comprise viral load measurements, genotyping and phenotyping, and host genetic factors for managing and treating HIV infections; cytogenetic, molecular cytogenetic, biochemical, and molecular genetic tests for diagnostic genetics; oncology tests for diagnosing and monitoring certain cancers and treatments; clinical trials testing for pharmaceutical companies, which conducts clinical research trials on diag nostic assays; forensic identity testing used in criminal proceedings and parentage evaluation services, as well as testing services in reconstruction cases; allergy testing; and occupational testing for the detection of drug and alcohol abuse. Its customers include independent physicians and physician groups, hospitals, managed care organizations, governmental agencies, employers, pharmaceutical companies, and other independent clinical laboratories. The company operates a network of 51 primary laboratories and approximately 1,700 patient service centers. In addition, it delivers a co-branded electronic health records Lite solution for physician practices. The company works with university, hospital, and academic institutions, such as Duke University, The Johns Hopkins University, the University of Minnesota, and Yale University to license and commercialize new diagnostic tests. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Burlingto n, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Smith]

    This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines include upgrades for both AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX  ) and Bankrate (NYSE: RATE  ) , but a downgrade for LabCorp Holdings (NYSE: LH  ) . Let's dive right in.

  • [By Daniel Lauchheimer]

    EXAS began their pivotal DeeP-C trial earlier this year, with 10,000 patients enrolled around the USA. Success in this trial formed a pivotal fulcrum for EXAS -- success would mean commercialization, and revenue, but failure means, well failure. In April, EXAS submitted the final module of this trial, and it reported significantly worse results than expected causing the company to sink 40%. Additionally, as reported in a detailed five part series, Seeking Alpha Contributor Alpha Exposure reported on the inflated numbers both in terms of scientific research data and market projections -- yet another reason to give investors pause before they decide to invest in EXAS. Additionally, EXAS has not formed a meaningful partnership with other molecular diagnostic companies. True, it formed a partnership with LabCorp (LH), but this partnership doesn't focus on the heart of EXAS product (and thus provide it with a measure of validation), but on a commercialization post approval.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.80 per share on revenue of $1.45 billion.

    Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.24 per share on revenue of $11.58 billion.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH  ) reported earnings on July 19. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings met expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Best Performing Companies To Own For 2014: NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE)

NextEra Energy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric energy in the United States and Canada. As of December 31, 2010, NextEra Energy had approximately 43,000 mega watts of generating capacity. The company involves in the generation of renewable energy from wind and solar projects. It also generates electricity through natural gas, nuclear, oil and coal, and hydro power plants. The company serves approximately 8.7 million people through approximately 4.5 million customer accounts in the east and lower west coasts of Florida. In addition, it leases wholesale fiber-optic network capacity and dark fiber to telephone, wireless carriers, Internet, and other telecommunications companies. The company was formerly known as FPL Group, Inc. and changed its name to NextEra Energy, Inc. in May 2010. NextEra Energy, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Justin Loiseau]

    NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE  ) reported earnings on Tuesday, underwhelming on revenue but exceeding on earnings expectations. As the largest renewable energy utility in the U.S., let's see if NextEra's newest report will put more wind in its sales.

  • [By Maxx Chatsko]

    Such a tax would act as the ultimate motivation for power generation companies and dirty industrial processes to invest in cleaner, perhaps renewable technologies. Consider that the production tax credit -- a relatively modest subsidy aiding renewable power sources gain market share -- allowed companies such as NextEra (NYSE: NEE  ) to boost American wind generation from just 6 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2000 to 140 billion kWh in 2012. NextEra now has more than 10,000 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity, which makes up 55% of its total portfolio. Imagine what a carbon tax would force the industry to do.�

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    What's arguably more troubling is the relative lack of a firm growth strategy for Exelon. Rival NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE  ) expects to spend an average of almost $6 billion per year over the next four years on projects designed to increase earnings and therefore dividend payout potential, while Dominion (NYSE: D  ) is aiming to produce 5%-6% earnings growth per year by spending $3 billion annually on new utility projects. By contrast, Exelon's spending on solar is relatively small and its investment on wind is almost nonexistent.

5 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: Snap-On Incorporated(SNA)

Snap-on Incorporated provides tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information, and systems solutions for professional users. Its products include hand tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, pliers, ratchets, saws and cutting tools, pruning tools, and torque measuring instruments; power tools, including pneumatic, hydraulic, cordless, and corded tools; and tool storage products comprising tool chests, roll cabinets, and tool control systems. The company?s diagnostics and repair information products include handheld and PC-based diagnostics products, service and repair information products, diagnostic software solutions, electronic parts catalogs, business management systems, business services, point-of-sale systems, integrated systems for vehicle service shops, original equipment manufacturer purchasing facilitation services, and warranty management systems and analytics to manage and track performance. Snap-on Incorporated?s equipment products comprise solutions for the diagnosis and service of automotive and industrial equipment, such as wheel alignment, collision repair, air conditioning service, brake service, fluid exchange, transmission troubleshooting, and safety testing equipment, as well as wheel balancers, tire changers, vehicle lifts, test lane systems, battery chargers, and hoists. The company also provides financial services, including business loans and vehicle leases to franchisees; loans to the franchisees? customers; and loans to its industrial and other customers for the purchase of tools, equipment, and diagnostics products. Snap-on Incorporated sells its products and services through mobile vans, franchisees, company-direct sales, distributors, and the Internet in approximately 130 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Argentina, China, and Brazil. Snap-on Incorporated was founded in 1920 and is based in Kenosh a, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Snap-on (NYSE: SNA  ) reported earnings on April 18. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 30 (Q1), Snap-on met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Snap-on (NYSE: SNA) shares gained 0.60% to create a new 52-week high of $106.62. Snap-on's PEG ratio is 1.78.

    Posted-In: 52-Week HighsNews Intraday Update Markets Movers

5 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: ConAgra Foods Inc.(CAG)

ConAgra Foods, Inc. operates as a food company primarily in North America. It operates in two segments, Consumer Foods and Commercial Foods. The Consumer Foods segment provides branded, private label, and customized food products, which are sold in various retail and foodservice channels. It offers products in various categories, such as meals, entrees, condiments, sides, snacks, and desserts in frozen, refrigerated, and shelf-stable temperature classes. This segment?s principal brands include Alexia, ACT II, Banquet, Blue Bonnet, Chef Boyardee, DAVID, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt?s, Marie Callender?s, Orville Redenbacher?s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack, Swiss Miss, Van Camp?s, and Wesson. The Commercial Foods segment provides commercially branded foods and ingredients that are sold to foodservice, food manufacturing, and industrial customers. Its primary products consist of specialty potato products, milled grain ingredients, a ran ge of vegetable products, seasonings, blends, and flavors. This segment sells products under brands, such as ConAgra Mills, Lamb Weston, and Spicetec Flavors & Seasonings. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Nicole Seghetti]

    Private-label pressures
    Regardless, private labels are becoming a bigger problem for companies such as Kraft and, to a lesser extent, Mondelez. According to an industry profile compiled by First Research, these brands typically cost 20% to 40% less than name-brand products. Couple that with the fact that more consumers are ditching big brands, and we can easily see why ConAgra (NYSE: CAG  ) , Cott (NYSE: COT  ) , and others are continually strengthening their private-label positions.

  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    ConAgra�Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

    E*TRADE Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) was reiterated as Buy, but the price target was raised to $19.50 from $16.50, at Sterne Agee, making the third or fourth such price target upgrade in as many days, but what stands out here is that this appears to now be a “street-high” price target.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    But the consumer side of the business is much more profitable, and there,�McCormick has faced more competitive issues. The rise of private-label brands has taken the retail food industry by storm, with ConAgra's (NYSE: CAG  ) purchase of Ralcorp Holdings giving the food company a big edge in private-label area and showing its margin-boosting value. For McCormick, however, its success in helping customers build their own store brand spices arguably comes at its own expense, although retaining customers in some capacity is obviously better than losing them entirely.

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