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Dividends

Two Plays on Natural Gas

November 15, 2011
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For almost the entire time I’ve been editing the Dick Davis Digests, experts have been predicting that natural gas prices would rise. Their reasoning is that, per dollar, you can currently produce much more energy from natural gas than from oil. Since the energy produced by each is indistinguishable, the experts argue that the cheaper fuel should gain popularity, even driving its price up into parity with oil’s. Economically, of course, their argument makes sense. But due to a variety of real-world factors–existing infrastructure for using the two fuels, and the relative growth in the supplies of oil and...

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5 Great Dividend-Paying Stocks

October 20, 2011
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We recently conducted a short survey of our Dick Davis Investment Digest subscribers. Several common concerns were market volatility and economic uncertainty (which I wrote about two weeks ago here). Today, I want to address a third common refrain. As a subscriber from Texas put it: “Maximize dividend income while preserving capital.” Two other respondents complained about the low interest rates on fixed income investments. Howard B. wrote that he would like help “finding the highest possible yield with investment grade or high credit quality. I am looking for a combination of appreciation and current cash flow yields.” Charles...

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Top 10 Super Companies

September 24, 2011
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Top 10 Super Companies

My top 10 “super” companies listed below offer dividends averaging 2.5%, which exceed the current 10-year U.S. Treasury bond rate of 2.0%. In addition to generous dividend payments, investors can expect steady long-term earnings and dividend growth of more than 10% per year. All of the companies maintain strong balance sheets with low debt and lots of cash. Annual dividend increases are common for all of the companies and have averaged 16% annual increases during the past five years. The average dividend payout ratio for our 10 companies is 31%, which is well below our 50% to 60% limit....

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The Importance of Dividends

September 22, 2011
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The Importance of Dividends

I often get asked if investing exclusively in dividend-paying companies will bring the best results. There is no simple answer, but history shows that dividend income is an important part of your total return when investing in common stocks. Increasing stock prices help build your wealth and beat inflation, but dividends provide a steady return on your investment through thick and thin. I also receive questions from investors asking me to compile a list of stocks to begin building their initial portfolios. Whether you are a new investor or an experienced pro, or whether you are young or old,...

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Three Defensive Blue Chips

September 13, 2011
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Three Defensive Blue Chips

I’m always noticing trends in the stocks recommended in the Dick Davis Digests. When markets are choppy, advisors recommend a lot of conservative stocks and value stocks that look like good bargains. Sectors like health care and technology and retail have phases as well, driven by news, economic reports and sentiment. And natural resources and gold have seen some of the biggest popularity booms recently, with interest spiking every time the international financial system takes a hit. Every once in a while though, I find a cluster of stocks so closely related that it surprises me. Last week’s Dick...

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