Dividend Growth Market Leaders

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GuruFocus.com
Wall Street Rallies Monday
Weibo advances on strong earnings Continue reading...
Motley Fool
Is ExxonMobil a Buy?
The oil giant has a long-term plan to enrich its investors.
Motley Fool
Why Mallinckrodt and Endo International Shares Jumped Today
Investors appear to have some confidence that the companies will settle their opioid lawsuits.
Benzinga
Barclays Likes Chevron Better Than Exxon Right Now For Big Oil Investors
It’s the black gold of Permian Basin crude from West Texas that fuels the battle between Big Oil giants Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) and Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM), but for Barclays it’s the green of cash that sets the two apart for investors. Barclays analyst Jeanine Wai initiated coverage of Chevron with an Overweight rating and a $145 price target.
American City Business Journals
Jabil expected to earn $1B in fiscal 2020 off Johnson & Johnson deal
The St. Pete manufacturer was also issued a positive outlook on its new $1.8 billion commercial paper program.
Zacks
Top Research Reports for Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson & NVIDIA
Top Research Reports for Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson & NVIDIA
MarketWatch
Chevron is a better bet than Exxon, Barclays says
West Texas’s Permian Basin is the key driver for shares of both Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp., but Chevron has an edge over Exxon due to its “superior” cash position, analysts at Barclays say.
Simply Wall St.
Is The Coca-Cola Company's (NYSE:KO) 36% ROE Better Than Average?
Many investors are still learning about the various metrics that can be useful when analysing a stock. This article is...
InvestorPlace
10 Mid-Cap Dividend Stocks to Buy Now
Are you having a hard time finding stocks to buy in this difficult economic environment? After a recent 800-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, I'm sure you are. One solution to bridge the gap between capital preservation, capital appreciation and income generation is to invest in dividend-paying mid-cap stocks. These are stocks with market caps between $2 billion and $10 billion. The great thing about mid-cap stocks is that they tend to be companies that are growing but that have a focus on the domestic economy. That keeps them somewhat insulated from the effects of a U.S.-China trade war.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 7 Safe Dividend Stocks for Investors to Buy Right Now With dividend stocks, especially dividend aristocrats, which have increased dividends for 25 years straight, investors can find an even better solution. These stocks generate income in good times and bad, providing a decent return even when there's little upside potential.If you're looking for the best of both worlds, here are 10 mid-cap dividend stocks to buy now. Mid-Cap Dividend Stocks to Buy: Olin (OLN)Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com Olin (NYSE:OLN) is a vertically-integrated global manufacturer of chemicals that include chlorine, caustic soda, bleach and many more. It's also known for Winchester, a large manufacturer of ammunition. Olin has three operating segments: Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls, Epoxy and Winchester. In the most recent quarter which ended June 30, all three segments saw a decrease in revenues. While it still makes money on an adjusted EBITDA basis -- $205 million in Q2 2019 vs. $325 million in Q2 2018 -- the company's long-term debt of $3.2 billion is 119% of its current market cap. As for dividends, it currently yields nearly 4.8% which is very attractive. OLN has plenty of free cash flow to continue paying it out to shareholders. Currently trading at 15 times its forward earnings, Olin is a good mid-cap value play. Embotelladora Andina (AKO.B)Source: Shutterstock Embotelladora Andina (NYSE:AKO.B), otherwise known as Coca-Cola Andina, has been producing Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) products in Chile since 1946\. It also has operations in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The company's American depository receipt currently yields 2.6%. Over the past five years, its payout ratio has varied from a low of 69% in 2017 to a high of 88% in 2018. Five Chilean families each own 20% of the holding company that controls Coca-Cola Andina through a 44.4% ownership stake. Coca-Cola owns 7.3% of the beverage company. In terms of market share, Coca-Cola has 63% of the Chilean soft drink market and 45% of the Chilean juice market. Within the four markets that it competes, it has a 65% market share of soft drinks, 31% of water and 42% of juices. Looking at its balance sheet, it has $850 million in net debt, which is a reasonable 29% of its market cap. * 5 Cheap Stocks to Buy Now That the Fed Cut Rates You're not going to get capital appreciation like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) but you will do well long-term buying AKO.B stock under $20. Tapestry (TPR)Source: Hi-Point / Shutterstock.com Tapestry (NYSE:TPR) is the parent company of both Coach and Kate Spade. It was already a beaten-down stock before it announced fourth-quarter 2019 results Aug. 15. Tapestry stock fell 22% on the news and is now down almost 42% on the year. Although its Coach brand delivered same-store sales growth of 2% in the second quarter, Kate Spade saw comparable store sales drop 6%. Since TPR acquired Kate Spade in September 2017, the brand has not generated a quarter with positive comps.It is not clear when Kate Spade's business will recover. In addition, the company said that due to Kate Spade, its profits for the year will be flat compared to last year.Like a lot of names on this list, Tapestry has to be considered a deep value play at the moment. In 2019, Tapestry still managed to generate $814 million in operating income from $6.03 billion in sales, despite a severe underperformance from Kate Spade. Equally important is the fact that Kate Spade's operating income was $187 million in 2019, just $10 million less than the previous year on a 7% decline in same-store sales.Down 42% on the year, I like its chances (unless there's a recession) of rebounding in 2020. Whirlpool (WHR)Source: Grzegorz Czapski / Shutterstock.com The U.S.-China trade war has not been kind to Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR), which has seen its volumes fall off a cliff due to a 12% increase in washing machine prices as a result of the tariffs on Chinese imports. President Donald Trump wants Whirlpool to create U.S. jobs, but knocking $500 million off its quarterly revenue as a result of these tariffs is not the way to go about it. According to the National Interest, Whirlpool and other foreign manufacturers have created 1,800 jobs since the tariffs went into effect at a cost of $800,000 per job. Despite the sales and profit declines due to the tariffs, Whirlpool's stock is actually up almost 26% year-to-date through Aug. 19. * 10 Cyclical Stocks to Buy (or Sell) Now A recent survey of appliance repair technicians found that Whirlpool has the most reliable washers, dryers and refrigerators as well as the second-most reliable stoves, ranges and dishwashers. Yielding 3.6% despite a big rebound in 2019, Whirlpool will pay you to wait out the tariff war. Vail Resorts (MTN)Source: Rosemary Woller / Shutterstock.com Just fitting in under the $10-billion ceiling for mid-cap stocks, Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) is up over 13% year-to-date through Aug. 19. The operator of ski resorts in the U.S. and Canada has an exemplary performance over the past 15 years -- it's delivered an annualized total return of almost 20% to its shareholders. It seems people can't get enough skiing. And Vail can't make enough acquisitions. In July, the company announced that it would buy 100% of Peak Resorts, the owners of 17 different ski areas in the northwest U.S. including Mount Snow in Vermont and Wildcat in New Hampshire. Vail paid $264 million for the 17 hills. That's nothing compared to the $1.4 billion CAD it paid for Whistler Blackcomb in 2016. As long as interest rates remain low, you can be sure MTN will continue to gobble up ski resorts around the world, creating a tremendous amount of cash flow in the process. Toro (TTC)Source: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com If you're a golfer, you've likely seen Toro's (NYSE:TTC) turf maintenance machines out on the golf course. Toro is the world leader in turf maintenance products. A few years ago, it got into the winter business buying Boss Snow Plows for $227 million. Toro is one of those companies that delivers for shareholders, yet tends to fly under the radar. Up 30% year-to-date through Aug. 19 including dividends, TTC stock has a 15-year annualized total return of 16.5%, which is almost double the U.S. total market over the same period. Recently, Toro announced a new strategy for its underground construction business which would see it combine its Ditch Witch, American Augers and Trencor businesses under one operating unit. By combining the three businesses, Toro will improve its marketing, sales and service while lowering the overall cost of providing these services. * 8 Dividend Aristocrat Stocks to Buy Now No Matter What The company expects to generate $3.2 billion in revenue in fiscal 2019 with earnings per share of $2.90-$3.00 or 20 times its forward earnings. FactSet Research Systems (FDS)Source: Shutterstock Although FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) has a market cap of $10.7 billion, above the high-end for mid-cap stocks, most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds will still buy FDS because the $10-billion ceiling is more of a guideline than a hard-and-fast rule. FactSet, for those unfamiliar with the company, provides financial data and portfolio analytics to the investment community. Approximately 83% of its annual subscription revenue comes from buy-side clients including mutual funds and pensions. FactSet's having a strong year so far in 2019. It's stock is up 39% year-to-date. Over the past 15 years, it's averaged an annualized total return of 16.7%, far superior to the total market. In fiscal 2019, FactSet expects revenues of $1.43 billion with adjusted earnings of $9.85 per share. Both of these numbers are higher than its original guidance at the beginning of the fiscal year. In the latest quarter, FactSet's adjusted operating income jumped 16% to $105.7 million on a 7% increase in revenues. At 26 times its forward earnings, FDS stock isn't cheap, but in the long term, you're going to be happy you own it. Aqua America (WTR)Source: Elena Larina / Shutterstock.com Aqua America (NYSE:WTR) is a water utility providing services to more than three million people in eight states. Despite missing both its revenue and earnings estimates for the second quarter, Aqua America's stock has kept moving higher since its Aug. 6 report. Up 31% year-to-date, WTR stock yields a reasonable 2.1% while providing attractive capital appreciation. Over the past 15 years, it's achieved an annualized total return of 10.3%.Last October, Aqua America announced that it would pay $4.3 billion to buy Peoples Natural Gas, a Pittsburgh-based natural gas distribution company providing service to more than 740,000 customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. Once completed, the company will operate regulated utilities in 10 states serving more than five million people. * 7 Stocks Under $7 to Invest in Now With a second platform for growth, investors can expect double-digit returns over the next 3-5 years. Polaris (PII)Source: melissamn / Shutterstock.com At the end of July, Polaris (NYSE:PII) launched its 2020 lineup of side-by-side and ATV offerings, just in time for the company's 65th anniversary. In 2019, Polaris' bottom line has been hit by Chinese tariffs. Nonetheless, it still expects to generate at least $6.10 a share in earnings in the fiscal year, despite an increase in the Section 301 tariffs from 10% to 25%. On the top line, it expects sales to grow by at least 12% with its off-road vehicles leading the charge. In addition, the company's 2018 acquisition of Boat Holdings for $807 million has already added $367 million in sales through the first six months of the year against zero sales in the previous year before it entered the boat business. Polaris participates in a very cyclical business. While I like the company's overall portfolio of products and fully expect it to deliver for investors in the long term, you do have to have a buy-and-hold view in order to profit from PII stock. There will continue to be large peaks and valleys in its stock price. MSC Industrial Direct (MSM)Source: Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.com MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) is an industrial distributor that provides more than 1.6 million products from over 100 branches and 12 fulfillment centers to customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the U.K. In 2018, it had $3.2 billion in revenue, 10.7% higher than a year earlier. The company reported its Q3 2019 results July 10. It missed on both the top- and bottom-line sending its stock 7% lower in the month since reporting earnings. It's down 9% year-to-date. Overall, however, the company's results for the first six months of the year aren't horrible with revenues of $2.52 billion, 6.6% higher than a year earlier, on operating income of $309.5 million, 1% lower than in the first six months of fiscal 2018.MSM stock is instituting a three-part plan to improve sales, lower costs and increase profitability. Trading at 12 times its forward earnings, a much lower multiple than its historical average, MSM stock is a nice value play at the moment. At the time of this writing Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 10 Cheap Dividend Stocks to Load Up On * The 10 Biggest Losers from Q2 Earnings * 5 Dependable Dividend Stocks to Buy The post 10 Mid-Cap Dividend Stocks to Buy Now appeared first on InvestorPlace.
Zacks
Estee Lauder (EL) Q4 Earnings & Sales Top Estimates, Stock Up
Estee Lauder's (EL) top and bottom lines improve year over year and surpass estimates in Q4. The company continues to gain from strength in most categories.
Motley Fool
Here's Why 1 Analyst Prefers Chevron Stock Over ExxonMobil
The answer can be summed up in a single word: Cash.
Zacks
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Walmart, Pilgrim's Pride, McCormick and Beyond Meat
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Walmart, Pilgrim's Pride, McCormick and Beyond Meat
Zacks
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Cisco, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, Southern and TransDigm
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Cisco, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, Southern and TransDigm
Barrons.com
Buy Chevron Stock Because It Has Plenty of Cash to Return to Shareholders, Analyst Says
Energy stocks have made little progress in 2019, but Barclays argues that Chevron can stand out despite the sector’s difficulties.
Zacks
Medtronic (MDT) to Post Q1 Earnings: Will RTG Aid the Stock?
Medtronic (MDT) is encouraged by robust and consistent constant currency growth in the RTG business over the last few quarters.
Motley Fool
3 Dividend Stocks Perfect for Retirees
Royal Dutch Shell, Costco, and McDonald's provide excellent opportunities for income-seeking retirees.
TheStreet.com
Chevron Shares Rise on Barclays Overweight Rating
Chevron rose after an analyst at Barclays initiated coverage of the oil and gas company with an overweight rating and a stock price target of $145.
Bloomberg
The Texas Power Casino Pays Off (for Now)
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- There’s a Vegas-like quality to the Texas electricity market. Whereas other regions use factors like capacity payments to encourage new power plants, Texas relies on the spin of the wheel. If temperatures are hot enough, and the wind is calm enough, and enough power generators go offline unexpectedly, a scramble for power spurs prices from the usual range of $20 to $30 per megawatt-hour up to $9,000.And that’s what happened last week:Merchant generators in Texas play this slot machine, hoping for a handful of these windfalls. BloombergNEF estimates the state’s generators reaped $1.5 billion across just two days last week, equivalent to more than 10% of the money paid in the wholesale electricity market last year.The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or Ercot, banks on such jackpots tempting developers to build more capacity. The mechanism works, more or less, but the inevitable lag between market signals and new construction can leave the power market dangerously close to shortages — and consequently the spikes. This is shown clearly in the reports Ercot publishes twice a year providing a forecast of the state’s “reserve margin,” or spare capacity. The target level is 13.75% of peak demand. Here are the forecasts for 2020 through 2023 taken from the May report over the past seven years:The latest forecasts suggest expectations are beginning to turn again. While the expected reserve margin for 2020 has shrunk further, it has expanded further out, moving back above the target level in 2021. That may prove optimistic.NRG Energy Inc., one of the biggest power generators and retailers in Texas, said on its recent earnings call that Ercot most likely overestimates new capacity and underestimates closings. As warnings go, this one is less a call to arms and more a pitch to buy; NRG’s plants should profit in a tighter, more volatile market. That said, it is safe to assume that much of the roughly 112 gigawatts of proposed projects — substantially bigger than the state’s total existing capacity — will not materialize. Less than a quarter of it had an agreement to hook plants into the grid signed at the end of July. Wind and solar projects dominate Texas’ pipeline and Greg Gordon, an analyst at Evercore ISI, typically discounts these by 35% and 75% respectively. He forecasts much tighter conditions in the medium term:In theory, this alternative view should spur new projects, especially solar farms. Hot, muggy days can mean air conditioners crank up just as the state’s formidable fleet of wind turbines slow for want of a breeze. Solar power, on the other hand, is tailor-made for those dog-day afternoons. But the state’s solar capacity of 1.9 gigawatts is low, and while there is a nominal 62 gigawatts in the works, most of it will never see the light of day. Tara Narayanan, a solar analyst for BloombergNEF, points to the impending roll-off of the investment tax credit for renewable projects as well as President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported solar modules. Taken together, these mean the optimal window for building solar capacity approved before the end of 2019 is actually in 2022-2023, when developers can still utilize the highest tax credit while also purchasing equipment unburdened by the tariffs.(1) Ercot’s pipeline suggests perhaps 3.4 gigawatts of new solar capacity entering service by the end of next summer. Using that as a conservative estimate and plugging it into BloombergNEF’s U.S. “Power Mixer” tool, the result implies a cut to average peak summer prices in 2021 of almost $4 per megawatt-hour, knocking perhaps $270 million off fleet revenue. That’s unhelpful for merchant generators but hardly a game changer.Yet the game is changing at a broader level. Texas, like so many other power markets, is undergoing a transition. In addition to wind power, cheap shale gas pushes down on power prices while rising demand and the retirement of older thermal power plants offer support. Even if solar power has been slow to take hold, and reserve margins remain low, the Texas power market represents a gamble. After all, last week’s spike came after a months-long slump in power futures as expectations of a lucrative heat wave had declined. Similarly, while 2018’s summer was a hot one, there were no big price spikes that year. This is one reason, even with near-term reserve margins looking tight, investors have been reluctant to price that fully into generator stocks. It is also why, even with the prospect of markets remaining tight, there will be no wave of construction in big conventional plants. Solar’s quick lead times and the ability to scale up alongside demand is a structural advantage.The price volatility, and expectation of more, is spurring one important part of the market to take matters into its own hands: commercial and industrial customers. As even the likes of Exxon Mobil Corp. have discovered, a long-term renewable supply contract can deliver energy at stable prices, and the cost of such power continues to drop. Corporate power-purchase agreements signed in Texas this year are likely to surpass those for the entire U.S. just two years ago, according to BloombergNEF. Power producers in Texas should enjoy decent odds of more jackpots in the next few years, but the house is moving against them. (1) This assumes, of course, that neither the tax credit nor the tariffs are extended.To contact the author of this story: Liam Denning at ldenning1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Niemi at dniemi1@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Liam Denning is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy, mining and commodities. He previously was editor of the Wall Street Journal's Heard on the Street column and wrote for the Financial Times' Lex column. He was also an investment banker.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Zacks
Buy 5 Dow Stocks That Have Surged Despite Market Gyrations
Some members of the Dow 30 Index have offered impressive returns in the past three months and still have upside left.
Zacks
Edwards Lifesciences' (EW) SAPIEN 3 TAVR Receives FDA Nod
Edwards Lifesciences (EW) plans a commercial introduction of SAPIEN 3 Ultra in Europe.
Zacks
Enersys Suffers From High Costs & ERP implementation Issues
Rise in costs and ongoing challenges within the motive power product line have been thwarting Enersys' (ENS) growth.
Simply Wall St.
Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT): Is It A Smart Long Term Opportunity?
In April 2019, Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) announced its earnings update. Overall, analysts seem fairly confident, as a...
Zacks
Dover (DOV) Appreciates 29% YTD: What's Driving the Rally?
Forecast-topping earnings performance in Q2 and an upbeat outlook contribute to the run-up in Dover's (DOV) shares.
Kiplinger
All 47 Warren Buffett Stocks Ranked: The Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio
When folks think of the Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) portfolio and its collection of holdings, most of which were selected by Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, the companies that most readily come to mind are probably American Express (AXP), Coca-Cola (KO) and, more recently, Apple (AAPL).But a deep dive into Berkshire Hathaway's equity holdings reveals a more complicated picture.Berkshire Hathaway held positions in 47 separate stocks as of June 30, according to the most recent regulatory filing (Aug. 14) with the Securities and Exchange Commission - down from 48 in the first quarter of this year, as he dumped USG Corp. (USG). But the portfolio of "Buffett stocks" isn't as diversified as the number might suggest. In some cases, BRK.B holds more than one share class in the same company. Some holdings are so small as to be immaterial leftovers from earlier bets the Oracle of Omaha has yet to completely exit.And perhaps most importantly, Berkshire Hathaway's equity portfolio is actually pretty concentrated. The top six holdings account for almost 70% of the portfolio's total value. The top 10 positions comprise 80%. Banks and airlines, to cite a couple of sectors, carry quite a load in this portfolio. Then there's the fact that several Buffett stocks actually were picked by portfolio managers Todd Combs and Ted Weschler.Here, we examine each and every holding to give investors a better understanding of the entire Berkshire Hathaway portfolio. SEE ALSO: 50 Top Stocks That Billionaires Love
Motley Fool
3 Top Restaurant Stocks to Buy in August
Investors should take a closer look at how these companies are growing.