Focus on Dividends: August 2017

Sugar is the New Tobacco: Coca Cola Faces Headwinds

Over the past century, buying and holding dividend growth stocks has been one of the most reliable ways to build wealth.

But it’s important to be nimble with your investments, to question old assumptions, and to be well-positioned for the future. Buy-and-hold investing means maintaining a low portfolio turnover rate, but doesn’t mean you can’t rotate away from dying industries when the writing is on the wall.

The Coca Cola Company (NYSE: KO), once one of the bluest of blue chip stocks, faces a far more uncertain future than it has experienced in any time in history. They’re a $200 billion company that essentially sells sugar water, and sugar is the new tobacco.

3 International Stocks for Retirees

Looking outside the U.S. could make sense for retirees, as long as they stick with solid companies.

It's important to stick with what you know when it comes to investing. U.S retirees buying only U.S. stocks makes sense with that in mind. However, a whole world of international stocks awaits investors willing to venture outside the United States. There are risks, of course, but there are also opportunities.

We asked three of our Foolish investors to each put forth an international stock that would be well suited for a retiree's portfolio, safety being the watchword. Here's why retirees should consider Unilever (NYSE:UL), Public Joint-Stock Company Mobile TeleSystems (NYSE:MBT), and Sanofi (NYSE:SNY).

O Stock: The Most Reliable Way to Earn Monthly Income from Stocks?

1 Monthly Dividend Stock for 2017 and Beyond

Monthly dividend stocks are some of the best creations for income investors. With dividend checks arriving in the mail every month, it’s much easier to budget expenses, especially for retirement investors. In this article, we are going to take a look at perhaps the most reliable monthly dividend stock in the current market: Realty Income Corp (NYSE:O).

Headquartered in San Diego, California, Realty Income is in the real estate business. Structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT), the company acquires freestanding, single-tenant properties and lease them to commercial businesses. Right now, the company’s portfolio consists of more than 5,000 commercial properties spread across 49 states and Puerto Rico.

This Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: August 21-25, 2017

Disposals:

J P Morgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) General Counsel Stacey Friedman sold 9,968 shares of J P Morgan Chase & Co stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.55, for a total value of $902,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 10,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $953,219.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Read more …

Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) Director Mary B. Cranston sold 10,400 shares of Visa stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.32, for a total value of $1,074,528.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Read more …

American Tower Corporation (REIT) (NYSE:AMT) EVP Amit Sharma sold 20,747 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.67, for a total transaction of $2,897,733.49. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 101,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,191,170.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Read more …

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Director Richard T. Burke sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.71, for a total transaction of $2,875,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,818,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,700,935.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Read more …

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) EVP Alan Gershenhorn sold 17,699 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.10, for a total transaction of $2,019,455.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Read more …

Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE:HON) insider Rajeev Gautam sold 5,840 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.68, for a total transaction of $798,211.20. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,597 shares in the company, valued at $2,268,477.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Read more …

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) insider John T. Chambers sold 250,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.14, for a total transaction of $7,785,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 729,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,710,557.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Read more …

Coach, Inc. (NYSE:COH) CAO Todd Kahn sold 4,586 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.85, for a total value of $187,338.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 72,412 shares in the company, valued at $2,958,030.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Read more …

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Director S Robson Walton sold 646,330 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.20, for a total transaction of $51,835,666.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,344,956 shares in the company, valued at $268,265,471.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. S Robson Walton also recently made the following trade(s): Read more …

Acquisitions:

General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) (TSE:GMM.U) Director Jane L. Mendillo purchased 1,440 shares of General Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $34.86 per share, with a total value of $50,198.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,560 shares in the company, valued at $158,961.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Read more …

General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) Director James S. Tisch bought 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $24.56 per share, with a total value of $2,456,000.00. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Read more …

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of August 21, 2017

Upgrades:

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE:TD) (NYSE:TD) was upgraded by analysts at Scotiabank from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Monday. The brokerage currently has a C$73.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of C$71.00. Scotiabank’s target price suggests a potential upside of 14.55% from the stock’s previous close. Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Barclays PLC increased their price objective on Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$69.00 to C$70.00 in a report on Friday, August 11th. Read more …

Eaton Vance Corporation (NYSE:EV) was upgraded by equities research analysts at J P Morgan Chase & Co from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America Corporation increased their target price on Eaton Vance Corporation from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 25th. Read more …

Downgrades:

Royal Bank Of Canada (NYSE:RY) (TSE:RY) was downgraded by stock analysts at Scotiabank from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report issued on Monday. Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Royal Bank Of Canada from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $83.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity started coverage on shares of Royal Bank Of Canada in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Read more …

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP (NYSE:BIP) (TSE:BIP.UN) was downgraded by investment analysts at Credit Suisse Group from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Tuesday. BIP has been the topic of several other research reports. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 5th. Read more …

Credit Suisse Group lowered shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note released on Tuesday. A number of other research firms have also weighed in on DE. BidaskClub lowered shares of Deere & from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, June 28th. Barclays PLC upped their target price on shares of Deere & from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a report on Monday, May 22nd. Read more …

Citigroup Inc. lowered shares of BHP Billiton plc (LON:BLT) to a neutral rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning. Citigroup Inc. currently has GBX 1,400 ($18.17) price objective on the mining company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of GBX 1,350 ($17.53). Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on BLT. UBS AG set a GBX 1,375 ($17.85) price target on BHP Billiton plc and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) restated a sell rating and issued a GBX 1,075 ($13.96) price target on shares of BHP Billiton plc in a research report on Tuesday. Read more …

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) was downgraded by BMO Capital Markets from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, The Fly reports. Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Credit Suisse Group set a $94.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Read more …

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA) was downgraded by stock analysts at Credit Suisse Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, The Fly reports. Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on TEVA. Citigroup Inc. decreased their price target on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited from $47.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. Read more …

Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Barclays PLC from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports. Several other analysts have also weighed in on WFM. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Whole Foods Market from $35.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Read more …

J.M. Smucker Company (The) (NYSE:SJM) was downgraded by equities researchers at J P Morgan Chase & Co from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Citigroup Inc. cut their price objective on J.M. Smucker Company (The) from $161.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 9th. Read more …

Hormel Foods Corp (HRL) was Downgraded by Credit Suisse to ” Neutral”. Earlier the firm had a rating of “Outperform ” on the company shares. Credit Suisse advised their Clients and Investors in a research report released on Aug 25, 2017. On the company’s financial health, Hormel Foods Corp reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the analyst consensus estimate by $ -0.03 based on the information available during the earnings call on Aug 24, 2017. Analyst had a consensus of $0.37. The company had revenue of $2207.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2241.84 million. The company’s revenue was down -4.1 % compared to the same quarter last year.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. Read more …

3 Dividend Stocks Perfect for Retirement

There's good reason why Pfizer, Cisco Systems, and Diageo can work for you in your retirement.

Preparing your portfolio for retirement is no easy task, but investing in quality dividend-paying stocks can certainly relieve a lot of the hassle. Income plus appreciation is a powerful combination to build your nest egg.

We asked three Motley Fool investors to identify one stock they thought would supercharge a retirement portfolio. There are some very good reasons why they chose Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), and Diageo (NYSE:DEO).

Is Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Stock the Best Dividend in Tech?

Is MSFT stock tech's best dividend play? Here's how it stacks up against other tech companies such as AAPL and QCOM.

Many investors like buying blue chip stocks not just for their growth potential, but also steadily rising yields. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) certainly falls in that category. MSFT stock has offered both explosive upside and also a rapidly growing dividend in recent years.

But how does that dividend stand up to the competition within the tech sector? Investors have plenty of other options in mega-cap tech as well. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is undoubtedly the most popular. But many investors have also flocked to International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) and Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC).

Does MSFT stock offer the best prospects for an income investor today … or is it one of its tech brethren?

Teva Stock Is Getting Destroyed. Is Now The Time To Buy?

Teva (ADR: TEVA) has been a darling for investors in the generic drug sector. Even as recently as last year, investors were eager to see the growth of the company and along with it, the stock price. But then second quarter earnings were reported and Teva stock price hit the fan as they say.

Teva stock price has since cratered 45% since earnings were released and there is no sign of the price coming back. So should investors, particularly value investors take a look at Teva?

In this post, we will look at Teva stock and see whether or not there is a value play here or if you are better served putting your investing dollars elsewhere.