Dividend investing is supposed to be a bit like watching grass grow: steady progress, few surprises. But lately, investors holding dividend-paying stocks have suffered some jarring setbacks.
SEE ALSO: 8 Great Dividend Stocks for Retirees
Higher-yielding sectors such as utilities and real estate investment trusts saw valuations soar through much of 2016, then suffered sharp pullbacks later in the year. Analysts see more pain ahead for high-dividend-yielding stocks as interest rates start to rise, diverting income-focused investors from stocks into bonds. A stretch of stagnant earnings growth, meanwhile, put the brakes on the double-digit dividend growth that investors have grown accustomed to since the financial crisis. Standard & Poors 500-stock index dividends climbed just 5% in 2016.
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: United Parcel Service Inc.(UPS)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Todd Campbell, Demitrios Kalogeropoulos, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]
In the case of these three stocks, however, it may be worth taking a gamble. Our contributors think catalysts at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN), Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-B), and United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) can get them back to their winning ways. Read on to find out if these down-and-out stocks are right for your portfolio.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
With companies like Under Armour (UAA), MGM Resorts International (MGM), andUnited Parcel Service (UPS) reporting tomorrow, we thought we’d get a jump start on the stocks moving after today’s close:
- [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
Meanwhile, earnings season produced large price swings in a few stocks individual stocks, including Under Armour (NYSE:UA) (NYSE:UAA) and UPS (NYSE:UPS).
- [By Brian Feroldi]
Investors in their 60’s should start to favor low-risk stocks that offer up big dividend payouts. Below are three stocks — Waste Management (NYSE:WM), United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS), and Welltower (NYSE:HCN) — that perfectly fit that description.
- [By Casey Wilson]
Top executives at United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) took home outrageously high compensation last year, even though the parcel carrier missed many of its performance targets, like revenue growth and total shareholder returns.
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: ConocoPhillips(COP)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By WWW.THESTREET.COM]
ConocoPhillips (COP) was upgraded to hold at TheStreet Ratings. You can view the full analysis from the report here: COP.
Urban Outfitters (URBN) was downgraded to market perform at William Blair. Continued comp-store sales pressure is pushing out the timeline for a potential recovery, Blair said.
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Things have improved handily from a year ago in the energy sector. Still, even with a pro-energy White House, things are far from perfect in the oil and gas sector. Now ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is delivering great news to its shareholders.
- [By Matthew DiLallo]
Oil exploration is a risky business. Not only does it cost a lot of money, but the odds of drilling a dry hole are very high. Just ask ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), which recorded $432 million of deepwater dry hole costs last year. It’s a problem the company is working to address by stepping away from deepwater exploration so that it can deliver steadier returns for investors.
- [By Spencer Israel]
And these were the most popular sells:
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co(NYSE: BMY)
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE)
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD)
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP)
Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX)
The following chart shows the IMX performance since it's inception at the end of 2012. You can see how it's generally correlated to the broader equities market. - [By Benzinga News Desk]
Last year was brutal for hedge fund investors — but you wouldn’t know it from the fund managers’ paychecks: Link
ECONOMIC DATA
The MBA’s index of mortgage application activity for the latest week is schedule for release at 7:00 a.m. ET.
The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on petroleum inventories in the U.S. will be released at 10:30 a.m. ET.
ANALYST RATINGS
Jefferies Upgraded ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) from Hold to Buy
JPMorgan Upgraded Clovis Oncology (NASDAQ: CLVS) From Neutral to Overweight
Morgan Stanley Upgrades TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) From Equal-Weight to Overweight
Macquarie Downgraded Disney (NYSE: DIS) from Outperform to Neutral
Deutsche Bank Downgraded AvalonBay (NYSE: AVB) from Buy to Hold
Wells Fargo Downgrades Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) From Outperform To Market Perform
This is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day — it's a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. To get the full version of this note every morning, click here or email minutes@benzinga.com.
- [By Chris Dier-Scalise]
Among the brands being sold were Alcoa Corporation (NYSE: AA) and Ford Motor Company(NYSE: F), which both paid out dividends in December. The financial and oil sectors also experienced a sell-off to finish 2016. Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE: WFC) and Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C) were net sold as each reached new year-to-date highs and investors unloaded ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) and Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) as their prices normalized with the rise in the price of oil.
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: ONEOK Inc.(OKE)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Garrett Cook]
Citi maintains Buy ratings on Targa Resources (NYSE: TRGP), ONEOK (NYSE: OKE) and Oneok Partners (NYSE: OKS) citing the companies stories around natural gas liquids (NGLs).
- [By Matthew DiLallo]
Energy infrastructure companies ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) and TransCanada (NYSE:TRP) are both emerging from the energy market downturn as stronger entities. Each made smart acquisitions, with TransCanada buying U.S. gas pipeline company Columbia Pipeline Group, while ONEOK is in the process of gobbling up its MLP,ONEOK Partners (NYSE:OKS). While these deals enhanced the growth profiles of both companies, TransCanada still stands out as the better buy for long-term income investors. Here’s why.
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cummins Inc.(CMI)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By WWW.THESTREET.COM]
There are lots of stories like that out there these days. People were perplexed about the Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Cummins Engine (CMI) and Caterpillar (CAT) quarters, but they turned out to be classic buying opportunities after years of being sell opportunities if the stocks had run. I can’t explain to you how amazing that is. Here are three stocks that have spent months and months in purgatory when they have missed or guided down or slashed forecasts. Now they are up gigantically.
- [By WWW.THESTREET.COM]
In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Salesforce.com (CRM) , Paccar (PCAR) , Cummins (CMI) , ConocoPhillips (COP) , Adobe Systems (ADBE) , Annaly Capital (NLY) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) .
- [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]
Ever walk past a construction site? It’s hard not to be enthralled by all the heavy construction machinery moving things around. With the world’s developing economies still building at a relatively fast pace and developing economies, like the United States, in desperate need of upgrading their aging infrastructure, the companies behind that construction machinery could be just as exciting as a construction site in the years ahead. Which is why Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT), Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI), and Terex Corporation (NYSE:TEX) are three of the top construction machinery stocks to look at right now.
- [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]
Making mining equipment has been a horrible business over the last few years. The industry has been hard-hit by the spending cutbacks at mine sites around the world. For example, BHP Billiton Limited trimmed its capital exploration expenditures by roughly 70% between fiscal 2013 and 2016. No wonder Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT), Komatsu Ltd. (NASDAQOTH:KMTUY), and Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI) have been hurting. Only that looks like it’s starting to change, which means this trio could be at the top of a list of mining equipment companies to buy in 2017.
- [By Chris Lange]
The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Friday was Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) which traded down about 5% at $159.44. The stocks 52-week range is $134.06 to $181.79. Volume was over 3.5 million versus the daily average of 1.2 million shares.
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Telefonica SA(TEF)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Javier Hasse]
Multiple-award-winning Trimaker is the leader in terms of sales in 3D printing in the region, serving clients like Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS), Toyota Motor Corp (ADR) (NYSE: TM), Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ: KHC) and Telefonica S.A. (ADR) (NYSE: TEF). The company not only manufactures its own 3D printers, but also offers materials and related services.
- [By Lisa Levin]
Telecommunications services shares gained around 0.98 percent in trading on Thursday. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Telefonica S.A. (ADR) (NYSE: TEF), and Allot Communications Ltd (NASDAQ: ALLT).
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: TAL International Group Inc.(TAL)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Craig Jones]
Instead of buying TAL Education Group (ADR) (NYSE: TAL), Cramer would buy Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA).
Cramer thinks Burlington Stores Inc (NYSE: BURL) is going to have a good quarter, because Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) posted a good one, and they have similar business models.
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Amphenol Corporation(APH)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Darren Williams] Although the entire cannabis space has quietly taken a hit of their own medicine in recent weeks and gone to sleep, don’t think for one second the entire space isn’t going to light up again soon. That’s just what they do, right? However, knowing who the pretenders are and knowing who the contenders are is really the challenge when it’s comes right down to it.
First, anyone who claims to be a grower or a seller of cannabis can’t for one second ever make it as a public company right now, or can even legally consider being a public company for that matter, so you can scratch any of those right off your list. At least here in the U.S. anyway, because Canada is already well ahead of the curve having legalized it for medicinal purposes already.
More importantly, full legalization of marijuana in Canada appears to be on track for July 2018, which will make Canada just the second nation in the world after Uruguay to completely legalize the cultivation, sale and possession of the drug for medical and recreational purposes.
Regardless, the best time to buy any stocks in a hot growth sector is when either everyone has forgotten about them, or when the overall market landscape has turned bearish, which has yet to happen. However, the former seems to be the case for the cannabis space, despite some very favorable state legislation last Fall.
For now, as long as you have a license issued by Health Canada, you’re good to go, so there are some stocks trading in Canada already who are well on their way to making some green for investors. Canopy Growth Corporation (TSE: WEED), formerly Tweed Marijuana Inc., is a medical marijuana company based in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Aurora Cannabis Inc. (CVE: ACB), which is engaged in the production and sale of medical cannabis. There’s also Aphria Pharmaceutical Company (TSE: APH), which also is engaged in producing and selling medical marijuana through retail sales and wholesale channels.
There are many more, but those are just a - [By Lee Jackson]
This is the top pick in the sector and has remained a favorite at RBC for some time.Amphenol Corp. (NYSE: APH) is one of the worlds largest designers, manufacturers and marketers of electrical, electronic and fiber optic connectors, interconnect systems, antennas, sensors and sensor-based products and coaxial and high-speed specialty cable.
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cellcom Israel Ltd.(CEL)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By WWW.THESTREET.COM]
That’s why Cramer said he’ll be listening for news coming from Celgene (CEL) , Amgen (AMGN) , Allergan (AGN) , an Action Alerts PLUS holding, and Regenron (REGN) , all of which are set to present. Of the four, Cramer said he’s sticking with Allergan and Amgen.
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings(LH)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Monica Gerson]
Analysts expect Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion. Laboratory Corp shares rose 0.64 percent to close at $121.77 on Friday.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion.
Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE: ROP) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $1.46 per share on revenue of $895.87 million.
Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Raytheon Company(RTN)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Money Morning News Team]
Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) deploys its expertise in defense systems, government electronics, and information technology.
RTN’s biggest and most profitable sectors are Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) and Missile Systems (MS).
- [By Stephen Mack]
Defense contractor Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) beat expectations last week, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $1.89 compared to an expected $1.76. That’s still a 20% drop from $2.38 in the same quarter last year. But here’s what’s important to understand: It’s not as bad as it looks.
- [By WWW.THESTREET.COM]
Raytheon (RTN) is the third-largest defense contractor in the U.S. and the largest missile maker in the world. The company’s engineering expertise continues to be coveted by America’s top brass and allies around the world.
- [By Money Morning News Team]
Our No. 2 pick, Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN), is involved in engineering technology for defense systems, government electronics, and information technology. Its largest and most profitable segments are Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) and Missile Systems (MS).
- [By Dustin Parrett]
Two of Keith’s favorite Unstoppable Trend stocks are Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) and Becton, Dickinson and Co. (NYSE: BDX). RTN and BDX are leaders in the Unstoppable Trends of defense and demographics, respectively.
