Dividend Stocks

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Merck (NYSE:MRK) stock was a good one to own. The performance of Merck stock matched that of the S&P 500, and it paid a steadily rising dividend. Source: Atmosphere1 / Shutterstock.com Since then, the obsession with growth and vaccines has told a different story. Over the last two years the average

The worst curse you can lay on any stock today is to call it “value.” Source: Twin Design / Shutterstock.com Value, especially as it pertains to sharing earnings with investors in the form of dividends, has become pure foolishness, particularly in the tech industry. If they’re handing out cash, investors suspect, management must not have

After years of boosting CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) stock, I recently gave up and took a profit of 15% won over 7 months. Maybe I should have stayed in. Since I sold my CVS stock, the share price is up almost 12%. Source: Roman Tiraspolsky / Shutterstock.com Its recent gain is even better than that of United Healthcare

Income investors are in a difficult position. Interest rates remain near zero, meaning yields across fixed income have declined over the past several years. When it comes to stocks, the rally to all-time highs in the market has caused the average dividend yield of the S&P 500 index to decline to around 1.3%. This is why

It’s pretty easy to continue to buy growth in this market. Third-quarter earnings for big tech companies are crushing it. The economy is climbing the wall of worry that supply chain issues are promising. So why buy dividend aristocrat stocks? Well, first of all, these aren’t just dividend stocks. You need to think of these

When it comes to protecting to the downside, something not everyone considers when in the midst of a bull market, investors in dividend stocks need to be aware of the volatility of their stocks. Owning too many high-risk positions can create a scenario where your portfolio loses more than the S&P 500 index. To help

While dividend yields have partially declined of late due to rallying stock prices, it’s still possible to find attractive high-yield retirement stocks on Wall Street. These businesses typically generate stable cash flow, boast strong balance sheets, and have reasonable dividend payout ratios. As a result, these companies have the financial resilience to grow their businesses

I recently read an article discussing the 20-year performance of Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD), one of Canada’s biggest banks. I wonder if there are stocks to buy that will do better than TD over the long haul. I like to use Morningstar.com for projecting annualized returns. Since it only goes as far out as 15 years,

I wrote about AT&T (NYSE:T) in early September and advised that prudence should govern any decision about T stock. Since that article, T stock is down 6%. However, most of that occurred after the ex-dividend date for the company’s upcoming Nov. 1, 2021 dividend payout. Score one for prudence.   Source: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com Investor sentiment began to sour in

Income investors are facing negative real returns as inflation rates soar. Not only is wage growth falling behind inflation, but cash savings are earning almost nothing in bank accounts. Investors who waited years for interest rates to rise and pay a better return now cannot wait. However, those who found high-yield stock gems have earned

Seasoned income investors know that the secret to good dividend stocks isn’t always about the size of the yield, it’s about the consistency. Income investing isn’t a short-term game. It’s a long-term strategy, so you need quality stocks that can deliver dependable income in good times and bad. Newcomers in income or total return investing

Some investors don’t focus on dividends, but over many years, dividend stocks can be great wealth generators. For this reason, many investors do focus on these stocks.  In particular, many investors take advantage of the income that dividends provide. Not to mention that many high-quality dividends happen to come from high-quality companies, giving dividend stock

AT&T (NYSE:T) produced its third-quarter earnings on Oct. 21. But as might have been expected, the wireless company gave no further news on the closing of its upcoming structural changes. More importantly, T stock shareholders also received nothing new about the company’s proposed dividend cut, which might come sometime next year. Source: Roman Tiraspolsky /

Thanks to the strong recovery of global oil consumption from the pandemic, energy stocks are the top performing market sector of the S&P 500 this year. The commodity price rally has been fueled by the recovery from the pandemic, as well as the limited oil production from OPEC and Russia. These two factors have led

There is a lot going on right now. Inflation is becoming a concern and the global supply chain has yet to recover from the pandemic, resulting in product shortages. Semiconductors continue to be in short supply, making supply woes worse — especially when it comes to consumer electronics and cars. The federal government is struggling

The allure of dividend stocks should be increasing right now. The Fed has signaled that it will soon begin tapering the market stimulus it provided during the pandemic. Following the news in late September, there hasn’t been any immediate shock. In general, broader markets including the S&P 500 index traded down after Labor Day. But

Over the 12 months the price of crude oil has doubled and the share price of Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) is up more than 80%. And while that’s three times the gain in the S&P 500 index, XOM stock is still a cheap. Source: Shutterstock At $258 billion, the market capitalization offers a premium of just

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) stock has underperformed the market in recent years. INTC stock stock has gone up by only around 20% over the past three years, trailing much behind the PHLX Semiconductor Index‘s return of over 150%. INTC stock currently hovers around $54, up 8% year-to-date (YTD). Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com Analysts have put the blame

Consumer staples stocks are a good source of stable dividends and steady growth from year to year. Businesses that sell products or services that consumers need in everyday life tend to have steady growth, even with the economy is in a recession. These companies are then able to provide dividends to shareholder, often raising them

Telecommunications giant AT&T (NYSE:T) should be a darling of the markets, but it’s not. For the past five months, T stock has been “dead money,” temporarily robbing investors of their wealth. Source: Shutterstock In my view, AT&T is a company with staying power and global recognition, which deserves better treatment by Wall Street. The shares of