July 31, 2019

Simon Property Group, Inc. Increases Quarterly Dividend $SPG




  • Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE:SPG) declares $2.10/share quarterly dividend, 2.4% increase from prior dividend of $2.05.
  • Forward yield 5.24%
  • Payable August 30; for shareholders of record August 16; ex-div August 15.


July 30, 2019

Mondelez International Inc. Increases Quarterly Dividend $MDLZ



  • Mondelēz (NASDAQ:MDLZ) declares $0.285/share quarterly dividend, 9.6% increase from prior dividend of $0.26.
  • Forward yield 2.08%
  • Payable Oct. 14; for shareholders of record Sept. 30; ex-div Sept. 27.


July 29, 2019

7 Great Dividend Growth Stocks For Higher Returns


Given the decline in yields and the prospect of lower interest rates, investors are in search of returns. This has raised the appeal for dividend investing. While there are several dividend stocks that could provide capital appreciation, honing in on stocks with a history of dividend growth leads to a healthy portfolio, with greater scope of capital appreciation as opposed to simple dividend-paying stocks or those with high yields.

Further, dividend-paying securities are the major sources of consistent income when returns from the equity market are at risk.

Dividend Growth: A Winning Strategy


Stocks that have a strong history of dividend growth belong to mature companies, which are less susceptible to large swings in the market, and thus act as a hedge against economic or political uncertainty as well as stock market volatility. At the same time, these offer downside protection with their consistent increase in payouts.

Additionally, these stocks have superior fundamentals that make dividend growth a quality and promising investment for the long term. These include a sustainable business model, a long track of profitability, rising cash flows, good liquidity, a strong balance sheet, and some value characteristics. Further, a history of strong dividend growth indicates that dividend increase is likely in the future.



Although these stocks do not necessarily have the highest yields, they have outperformed for a longer period than the broader stock market or any other dividend-paying stock.

As a result, picking dividend growth stocks appear as winning strategies when some other parameters are also included.



July 27, 2019

Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: Week of July 22, 2019



Acquisitions:


Bank of New York Mellon Corp (NYSE:BK) Vice Chairman William M. Daley bought 11,350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $44.93 per share, for a total transaction of $509,955.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 5,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $256,101. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

BK stock traded up $0.55 during trading on Monday, hitting $45.82. The company had a trading volume of 4,900,280 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,011,035. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.86. Bank of New York Mellon Corp has a 12 month low of $42.13 and a 12 month high of $54.47. The company has a market cap of $43.35 billion, a PE ratio of 10.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.04. Read more …

CROWN CASTLE IN/SH SH (NYSE:CCI) Director J Landis Martin purchased 16,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $127.33 per share, with a total value of $2,075,479.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 130,617 shares in the company, valued at $16,631,462.61. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Shares of CCI opened at $130.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.66. CROWN CASTLE IN/SH SH has a 52-week low of $103.21 and a 52-week high of $137.85. The firm has a market cap of $53.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. Read more …






Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) CEO Seifi Ghasemi acquired 20,000 shares of Air Products & Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $227.16 per share, with a total value of $4,543,200.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 453,783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,081,346.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Shares of APD stock opened at $230.55 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $50.11 billion, a PE ratio of 30.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $224.80. Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.44 and a 1 year high of $231.45. Read more …


July 26, 2019

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of July 22, 2019




Upgrades:


Hershey (NYSE:HSY) was upgraded by UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Monday, The Fly reports.

HSY has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. Barclays set a $46.00 price target on shares of D. R. Horton and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Piper Jaffray Companies lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $122.00 to $125.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 19th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Canopy Growth from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 19th. Finally, ValuEngine lowered shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.14. Read more …

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) was upgraded by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Co from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued on Monday, The Fly reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Focus Financial Partners from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $35.00 to $35.50 in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Deutsche Bank restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 4,000 ($52.27) target price on shares of in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Argus decreased their target price on Domino’s Pizza from $310.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. ValuEngine downgraded Virtu Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Bank of America set a $80.00 price target on Colgate-Palmolive and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Charles Schwab has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.60. Read more …

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) was upgraded by stock analysts at Mizuho to an “underperform” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The firm currently has a $500.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock, up from their previous price target of $420.00. Mizuho’s target price points to a potential downside of 32.40% from the stock’s previous close.


CMG has been the subject of several other reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Co restated a “sell” rating on shares of Bausch Health Companies in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Credit Suisse Group initiated coverage on shares of Arco Platform in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. UBS Group set a $70.00 target price on shares of Lumentum and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $700.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $667.03. Read more …




Kimberly Clark (NYSE:KMB) was upgraded by research analysts at Atlantic Securities from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports.


Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on KMB. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Green Brick Partners from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Steel Dynamics and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Co reissued a “hold” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly Clark in a research note on Tuesday. Argus raised shares of Kimberly Clark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Canopy Growth from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Kimberly Clark has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $127.25. Read more …

July 25, 2019

Why 3M Stock Is Untouchable


The conglomerate may have too much on its plate, and its marketing edge may be gone, making MMM stock a risky bet



There’s no denying 3M (NYSE:MMM) stock is, despite all of its woes, still a dividend champ. With February’s increased payout now on the books, the annual payout of 3M stock has climbed for 61 consecutive years. And, with a dividend of $5.76 per share of 3M stock scheduled for 2019, there’s tons of wiggle room for 3M, since analysts, on average, are calling for full-year earnings of $9.40 per share.

But even with 3M stock price beaten down to near $173 and MMM stock yielding 3.26%, the shares aren’t appealing. This company’s got problems, and its China headwind may be the least of them.





The foremost challenge facing 3M stock may be its ultra-diversified business model itself, followed closely by waning loyalty towards its brand.


July 23, 2019

This Stock Should Continue Rewarding Shareholders With Predictable Dividend Growth For Years To Come


In business since 1905, C.H. Robinson (CHRW) is one of the largest third-party logistics companies in the world. The firm acts as a middleman in the transportation industry, helping connect companies that need to ship goods with cost-effective transportation providers that have capacity available via trucks, railroads, airlines, and ships.

C.H. Robinson doesn’t own hard transportation assets such as trucks and is instead a service company that utilizes people and technology to create transportation and supply chain advantages for its customers.
The company has more than 124,000 customers and maintains relationships with over 76,000 carriers and suppliers, who it purchases shipping capacity from on behalf of its customers. C.H. Robinson takes of cut of each transaction and in return helps clients lower their costs, improve efficiency, and reduce risk.

About 84% of company-wide profits are from C.H. Robinson’s North American Surface Transportation segment, which consists of truckload and less-than-truckload services.

Global Forwarding (ocean, air, and customs services) accounts for another 10% of profits, and C.H. Robinson also has a small sourcing business (6% of profits) that sources fruits and vegetables for grocers and restaurants.





C.H. Robinson’s customer base is diversified, with 20% of revenue generated from the food & beverage industry, 17% manufacturing, 14% auto/industrial, 13% chemicals, 12% retail, and 24% other.

The company’s top 100 customers account for only 33% of total sales, further underscoring its diversification. Around 16% of C.H. Robinson’s net income is generated from operations outside of the U.S., and the business is investing to become more global.



July 22, 2019

2019 Blue Chip Stocks List: 271 Best Safe Dividend Stocks Now


In poker, the blue chips have the highest value. We don’t like the idea of using poker analogies for investing. Investing should be far removed from gambling.

With that said, the term “blue chip” has stuck for a select group of stocks….
So what are blue chip stocks?

Blue chip stocks are established, safe, dividend payers. They are often market leaders and tend to have a long history of paying rising dividends. Blue chip stocks tend to remain profitable even during recessions.

At Sure Dividend, we define Blue Chip stocks as companies that are members of 1 or more of the following 3 lists:

Dividend Achievers (10+ years of rising dividends)
Dividend Aristocrats (25+ years of rising dividends)
Dividend Kings (50+ years of rising dividends)





We also cover the 10 highest yielding blue chip stocks in this article, and provide a sortable table of all blue chip stocks for quick reference.

The table of contents below allows for easy navigation.



July 20, 2019

Most Significant Insider Trades: Week of July 15, 2019





Disposals:


Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Director George Orban sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.89, for a total value of $3,070,810.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 542,939 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,491,810.71. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Read more …

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) insider James S. Fassio sold 85,238 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.85, for a total value of $8,937,204.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

James S. Fassio also recently made the following trade(s):

On Wednesday, June 19th, James S. Fassio sold 60,000 shares of Ross Stores stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.38, for a total value of $6,202,800.00.

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $106.35 on Tuesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.91 and a 12 month high of $107.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.34. The company’s fifty day moving average is $99.72. Read more …

Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) CAO Hilary K. Krane sold 17,903 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.70, for a total transaction of $1,587,996.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Nike stock opened at $87.50 on Thursday. Nike Inc has a 12-month low of $66.53 and a 12-month high of $90.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.64 billion, a PE ratio of 35.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $84.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Read more …

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) insider Ian M. Cook sold 19,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.19, for a total value of $1,446,705.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,127,542 shares in the company, valued at $83,652,340.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Ian M. Cook also recently made the following trade(s):

On Wednesday, May 15th, Ian M. Cook sold 19,500 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.20, for a total value of $1,388,400.00.

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $73.75 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.80. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $57.41 and a 52 week high of $74.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.25, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Read more …  


Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) President Glen W. Hauenstein sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.03, for a total value of $3,151,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 267,526 shares in the company, valued at $16,862,163.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Shares of DAL stock opened at $62.25 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $41.07 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.18. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.08 and a 52 week high of $63.27. Read more …

Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE:BBY) major shareholder Richard M. Schulze sold 69,400 shares of Best Buy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.12, for a total transaction of $5,213,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,732,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $130,145,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Shares of BBY opened at $73.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $68.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 1.12. Best Buy Co Inc has a 1 year low of $47.72 and a 1 year high of $84.37. Read more …


JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) insider Lori A. Beer sold 13,341 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.28, for a total transaction of $1,524,609.48. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,157,656.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this linkRead more …


JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) EVP Peter Scher sold 10,816 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total value of $1,243,840.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. stock traded down $1.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $113.54. 9,637,289 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,577,034. The firm has a market capitalization of $371.99 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 12-month low of $91.11 and a 12-month high of $119.24. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.00. Read more …


July 19, 2019

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of July 15, 2019




Upgrades:


Bank of America upgraded shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report published on Monday morning, 24/7 WallStreet reports.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on DE. Macquarie set a $132.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Deere & Company from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and upped their price target for the stock from $129.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Sunday, June 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of AGCO from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Co reissued a buy rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Carvana in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued a hold rating on shares of PG&E in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $167.78. Read more …

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Co from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $88.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, up from their previous target price of $68.00. Wells Fargo & Co‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 31.46% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Oppenheimer set a $85.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Raymond James set a $60.00 target price on shares of Banner and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of Acquity Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $80.54. Read more …

Edward Jones upgraded shares of General Mills (NYSE:GIS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday morning, The Fly reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on GIS. Bank of America set a $120.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered VESTAS WIND SYS/ADR from a neutral rating to an underweight rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Co restated a hold rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Guggenheim increased their target price on General Mills from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies increased their target price on General Mills from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. General Mills has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $52.66. Read more …


ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) was upgraded by stock analysts at Bank of America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Credit Suisse Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a GBX 2,012 ($26.29) price target on shares of Aston Martin Lagonda Global in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of General Moly from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Avrobio in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded shares of Zogenix from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.07. Read more …

July 18, 2019

Waste Management: the Largest Player in the Slow-Changing Trash Collection Industry


Founded in 1968, Waste Management (WM) owns the largest network of recycling facilities, transfer stations, landfills, and processing plants in North America. The company makes money by entering into contracts with customers to collect, transport, process, store, and dispose of their waste.

In just 30 years of operation, the company has built an impressive and diverse base of more than 22 million customers spread across municipal, residential, commercial and industrial segments in the U.S. and Canada.

During 2018, WM’s biggest customer represented just 1% of its annual revenues. The public sector (municipal customers) accounts for 21% of the firm's revenue, and the largest private industries are retail and offices at 10% each.

Waste Management’s revenues can be segregated into collection (54% of 2018 revenues), landfill (20%), transfer (10%), recycling (7%) and other services (9%). Commercial is the largest segment accounting for 41% of collection revenues, followed by industrial (29%), residential (26%), and other (4%) segments.


The commercial and industrial businesses are more lucrative customers for Waste Management because they typically have multi-year contracts in place, making cash flows more predictable and stable.

Waste Management has paid higher dividends every year since going public in 2004.



July 17, 2019

Home Depot: Buybacks and Dividends Are in Stock for This Dow Stock


The brick and mortar industry has struggled mightily in the recent past, due to worries about online competition from Amazon and others. Some pockets of the vast brick and mortar industry continue to perform very well, though, which includes the home improvement segment.

The market leader in this industry, Home Depot (HD), is a wide-moat company with excellent fundamentals. The company has performed solidly operationally during early 2019, and the expected returns for Home Depot stock are compelling over the next several years. For these reasons, Home Depot stock is one of our favorite long-term retail plays.

Business Overview


Home Depot, which operates more than 2000 stores across North America, has been generating solid growth rates in the past. One key factor for its rising revenues are growing comparable store sales. These do not only provide the majority of Home Depot’s revenue growth, they also allow the company to continually expand its margins, thanks to the positive impact of operating leverage – fixed costs per store remain unchanged, while the rising revenue generation at its locations allows for growing gross profits, which results in growing operating margins.




Home Depot’s first quarter earnings results were announced in May 2019. The company generated revenues of $26 billion, which was 6% more than the revenues that Home Depot generated during the previous year’s first quarter. This revenue growth was positively impacted by comparable store sales improvements, as comps sales rose by 2.5% year over year. The company managed to grow its earnings-per-share to $2.27, up by 9% year over year, with share repurchases playing a major role for rising profits on a per-share level.


July 16, 2019

The Top 7 Dividend Healthcare Stocks Now


The healthcare sector is a great place to find high-quality dividend growth stocks. For evidence of this, look no further than the list of Dividend Aristocrats.

The Dividend Aristocrats are a select group of stocks in the S&P 500 Index, with 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases. There are currently 6 Dividend Aristocrats that come from the health care sector.

It is easy to see why health care stocks make for excellent long-term investors. The U.S. health care sector widely enjoys high profitability with strong cash flows. After all, people often cannot go without health care, even in difficult economic climates.

And, with an aging population, the U.S. healthcare industry is expected to see robust demand going forward.

The rankings in this article are derived primarily from our expected total return estimates for every healthcare dividend stock found in the Sure Analysis Research Database. We further narrowed down the list by selecting only those stocks with a Dividend Risk score of C or better.




For investors interested in high-quality dividend growth stocks, this article will discuss the top 7 dividend-paying health care stocks to buy now.


July 13, 2019

Most Significant Insider Trades: Week of July 8, 2019



Disposals:


Ford Motor (NYSE:F) insider James P. Hackett sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.20, for a total value of $204,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 194,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,984,665. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Shares of NYSE:F opened at $10.11 on Thursday. Ford Motor has a twelve month low of $7.41 and a twelve month high of $11.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.78, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.22. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.94. Read more …

Omega Healthcare Investors Inc (NYSE:OHI) CEO C Taylor Pickett sold 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total value of $209,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 227,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,661,454. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

C Taylor Pickett also recently made the following trade(s):

On Monday, June 24th, C Taylor Pickett sold 30,000 shares of Omega Healthcare Investors stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total value of $1,140,000.00.

On Thursday, June 20th, C Taylor Pickett sold 30,000 shares of Omega Healthcare Investors stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total value of $1,140,000.00.

Shares of OHI stock opened at $38.00 on Wednesday. Omega Healthcare Investors Inc has a 12 month low of $28.65 and a 12 month high of $40.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 2.86 and a current ratio of 2.86. The company’s 50 day moving average is $36.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.50, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.42. Read more …

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) insider Michael Edward Mcnamara sold 11,891 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.79, for a total value of $1,055,801.89. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Target stock opened at $86.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market cap of $43.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $85.64. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $60.15 and a twelve month high of $90.39. Read more …

Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY) CEO Michele Buck sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $207,855.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 158,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,953,506.53. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Michele Buck also recently made the following trade(s):

On Monday, June 10th, Michele Buck sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.01, for a total transaction of $207,015.00.

On Friday, May 31st, Michele Buck sold 6,000 shares of Hershey stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.14, for a total transaction of $774,840.00.

On Monday, April 22nd, Michele Buck sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total transaction of $175,500.00.

Shares of HSY traded down $1.55 during trading on Thursday, reaching $137.02. 287,593 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,234,960. Hershey Co has a twelve month low of $90.52 and a twelve month high of $139.34. The firm has a market cap of $28.93 billion, a PE ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.11. The business’s 50-day moving average is $135.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.27, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.92. Read more …



PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) CEO Steven C. Williams sold 2,420 shares of PepsiCo stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.95, for a total value of $324,159.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 54,920 shares in the company, valued at $7,356,534. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Shares of NASDAQ PEP opened at $133.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $187.84 billion, a PE ratio of 24.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $131.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.53 and a 52-week high of $135.24. Read more …




July 12, 2019

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of July 8, 2019



Upgrades:


Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) was upgraded by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, The Fly reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on JCI. Wells Fargo & Co upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $42.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Zacks Investment Research raised Johnson Controls International from a “strong sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. TheStreet raised Johnson Controls International from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Credit Suisse Group initiated coverage on Johnson Controls International in a report on Monday, May 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Johnson Controls International in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $45.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.64. Read more …

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The firm presently has a $54.00 price objective on the cable giant’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $44.00. Goldman Sachs Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 23.61% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on CMCSA. BidaskClub downgraded Comcast from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Macquarie assumed coverage on Comcast in a research report on Wednesday, June 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Comcast from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Pivotal Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $54.00 target price on shares of Comcast in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded Comcast from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $25.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $44.92. Read more …

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) was upgraded by investment analysts at Deutsche Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $13.50 price objective on the natural resource company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $12.50. Deutsche Bank’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 21.62% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on FCX. BMO Capital Markets set a $32.00 price objective on Axalta Coating Systems and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Barclays set a $192.00 price objective on Tesla and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Pinduoduo in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $20.48 price objective for the company. Zacks Investment Research lowered Hollysys Automation Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, ValuEngine lowered Intersect ENT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.71. Read more …


Altria Group (NYSE:MO) was upgraded by analysts at Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, The Fly reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. ValuEngine raised shares of USINAS SIDERURG/S from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Citigroup set a $221.00 price objective on shares of 3M and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet lowered shares of 22nd Century Group from a “c-” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Friday, March 29th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Wix.Com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Co from $55.00 to $51.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.91. Read more …


July 11, 2019

United Parcel Service: Uninterrupted Dividends Since 1969


Founded in 1907 by two teenagers making retail deliveries, United Parcel Service (UPS) is now the world’s largest package delivery company, serving more than 220 countries and territories.

Thanks to a global fleet of more than 120,000 vehicles, over 500 aircraft, and more than 900 distribution facilities, in 2018 UPS delivered 21 million packages per day for 10.6 million customers including 2.5 million businesses.

UPS’s business is organized into three segments:

1.      Domestic Package (61% of revenue, 53% of operating profit): UPS is a leader in time-sensitive, small package delivery services in the U.S., offering a full spectrum of domestic guaranteed ground and air package transportation services. UPS delivers more ground packages in the U.S. than any other carrier, with average daily package volume of over 14 million, most within one to three business days.

2.      International Package (20% of revenue, 35% of operating profit): UPS first expanded outside the U.S. more than 40 years ago. The company now offers a wide selection of guaranteed day and time-definite international shipping services across Europe, Asia, Canada, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Europe accounts for about half of international revenue.

3.      Supply Chain & Freight Operations (19% of revenue, 12% of operating profit): UPS provides freight forwarding and logistics services to help businesses outsource these non-core activities to get their goods to the right place, at the right time, at a competitive cost. Increasingly complex supply chains are creating more demand for a global offering that handles transportation, distribution, and international trade and brokerage services.





While the domestic business continues to generate the majority of revenue and operating profits, the company continues to expand overseas and diversify into supply chain & freight services.

UPS's operating profit from its U.S. operations has decreased from 88% of the total mix in 2000 to about 70% today. In 2018 the company's international and supply chain businesses made up 47% of operating profits, showing the firm's dedication to diversifying its business and grabbing a large share of the package delivering market in developing nations.

United Postal Services froze its dividend during the financial crisis but has grown it every year since then and paid stable or rising dividends since 1969.



July 10, 2019

10 Stocks That Should Be Every Young Investor’s First Choice


Veteran investors usually have a pretty good feel for selecting their holdings, having learned from both good and bad experiences.

In most cases, they’re just maintaining an existing portfolio, picking one stock at a time to replace another that’s no longer a worthy holding. It’s a journey, and can be taken slowly.
Brand new investors, however, face a tougher task. Building a portfolio from scratch is not only daunting, but plain difficult. Between finding enough good names to fill out a fully diversified collection of stocks, determining the best time to step in and then learning to sleep when taking on a new kind of risk, it can be an overwhelming matter.

But, it doesn’t have to be.




Here’s a list of ten stocks to buy, hand-picked for their simplicity, but without the sacrifice of real opportunity. There’s palatable risk paired with respectable reward, and each name is easy to judge going forward.