On the lookout for safe dividends? (Who isn’t, right?)
These days, you generally have three options: large-cap stocks with long dividend histories, municipal bonds and US Treasuries.
Treasuries are considered the safest of that group, and large-cap stocks the riskiest, but they’re still much safer than plenty of other investments, such as small caps and junk bonds.
I’ll show you two low-risk investments that are great buys now in a moment. But first, I want to tell you why recent events have called the safety of some of the options I just named into question.
Let’s start by looking at the following chart:
“Safe” Assets Turn Volatile
First, note how the iShares S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Fund (MUB), a good proxy for municipal bonds as a whole, is the least volatile of the three funds shown above. But right now, it faces a steep downturn relative to its earlier stability.
Top 10 Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2018: FuelCell Energy Inc.(FCEL)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Paul Ausick]
FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) posted a new 52-week low of $1.00 on Friday, down 60% compared with Thursday’s closing price of $1.60. The stock’s 52-week high is $8.88. Volume of around 12.4 million shares was about 13 times the daily average of around 800,000 shares. The company priced a secondary stock offering of 12 million shares and additional warrants at $1.28 to raise $15.4 million.
- [By Lisa Levin]
FuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ: FCEL) shares dropped 33 percent to $1.08. FuelCell Energy priced its $15.4 million underwritten public offering of common stock and warrants.
- [By Peter Graham]
A long term performance chart shows shares of Plug Power along withalternative energy or fuel cell stock peers like Ballard Power Systems Inc (NASDAQ: BLDP), FuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ: FCEL) and Hydrogenics Corporation (NASDAQ: HYGS) all peaking in 2014 with shares leveling off or just sliding downward moderately over the past year:
- [By Peter Graham]
A long term performance chart shows shares of Plug Power plus alternative energy or fuel cell stock peers like Ballard Power Systems Inc (NASDAQ: BLDP), FuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ: FCEL) and Hydrogenics Corporation (NASDAQ: HYGS) all peaking in 2014 before collapsing with shares leveling off or perhaps finally to recover a bit:
- [By Peter Graham]
The Q4 2016 earnings report for small cap fuel cell stockFuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ: FCEL) is scheduled forbefore the marketopens onThursday (January 12th). At the beginning of December, FuelCell Energy announced a business restructuring to reduce costs and align production levels with current levels of demand in a manner that is consistent with the Companys long-term strategic plan.The Company said it cut 96 jobs, or 17% of its workforce, and has halved production to 25 megawatts a year in order to position for delays in order flow.The Company alsoexpects to take a $3 million charge in fiscal 2017 related to the job cuts.
- [By Peter Graham]
The Q1 2017 earnings report for small cap fuel cell stockFuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ: FCEL) is scheduled forbefore the marketopens onThursday (March 9th). Last December,FuelCell Energy announced a business restructuring to reduce costs and align production levels with current levels of demand in a manner that is consistent with the Companys long-term strategic plan.The Company said it cut 96 jobs, or 17% of its workforce, and has halved production to 25 megawatts a year in order to position for delays in order flow.
Top 10 Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2018: Rackspace Hosting Inc(RAX)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Monica Gerson]
Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE: RAX) reported better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter, but the company missed analysts’ sales estimates. Rackspace shares dropped 7.72 percent to $20.80 in the after-hours trading session.
Top 10 Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2018: Panera Bread Company(PNRA)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Motley Fool Staff]
In this segment fromMarket Foolery, host Chris Hill is joined by Motley Fool analystDavid Kretzmann as they break down how coffee-and-pastry focused JAB Holding Company will fit a fast casual brand into its privately held portfolio. With the acquisition, the JAB is expected to give thePanera Bread(NASDAQ:PNRA)team even more autonomy than usual.
- [By Billy Duberstein]
In late March, the company informed investors that after a two-year undertaking, it had finally removed all preservatives from its tortillas, making the Chipotle menu completely preservative-free. The company also called out competitors McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) and Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA) for marketing their menus as “natural,” as Chipotle insisted these other restaurants still use preservatives made in a lab.
- [By Seth McNew]
Other companies have followed suit with great success, including PaneraBread (NASDAQ:PNRA), which has focused on improving the customer experience, including via shorter wait times. Panera 2.0 was largely successful because of the company’s focus on its digital strategy and Chipotle looks to be doing the same thing.
Top 10 Small Cap Stocks To Buy For 2018: Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ACHN)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Ben Levisohn]
We updated our annual U.S. Hep C survey in early July, in order to gauge the future for Gilead, AbbVie/Enanta Pharmaceuticals (ENTA), Merck, and J&J/Achillion Pharmaceuticals (ACHN). In conjunction with script trends, physicians indicate that the market for treatment-eligible, easily accessible Hep C patients is shrinking, but that Gilead’s share of the shrinking pie is continuing to grow. With no end to script declines in sight, we are left wondering where the Hep C will bottom…
