Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: Week of October 12, 2020

 

Disposals:

Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE:BBY) major shareholder Richard M. Schulze sold 250,826 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.27, for a total value of $28,912,713.02. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

BBY traded up $0.43 during trading on Thursday, reaching $114.92. The stock had a trading volume of 1,519,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,707,308. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $109.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.63. Best Buy Co Inc has a 1-year low of $48.10 and a 1-year high of $119.48. Read more …

 

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CFO Luca Maestri sold 243,431 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.89, for a total value of $28,454,649.59. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 110,272 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,889,694.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $121.10 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.15 and a 12 month high of $137.98. The stock has a market cap of $2,099.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.84, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.31. The company's 50 day moving average is $116.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.66. Read more …

 

T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ:TMUS) EVP David A. Miller sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 136,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,337,040. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Shares of TMUS traded down $4.90 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $116.67. 6,079,896 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,866,098. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.42 billion, a PE ratio of 38.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.31. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $114.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.67. T-Mobile US, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.50 and a 52-week high of $123.42. Read more …

 

 

QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) President Cristiano R. Amon sold 20,530 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.60, for a total value of $2,681,218.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 50,753 shares in the company, valued at $6,628,341.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

NASDAQ QCOM traded down $1.30 on Thursday, hitting $128.58. 7,316,729 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,261,655. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.67, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $117.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.83. QUALCOMM, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.00 and a fifty-two week high of $132.42. The firm has a market cap of $145.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.36. Read more …

 

Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) EVP Marc E. Lore sold 85,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.55, for a total transaction of $12,286,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,610,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $232,783,175.45. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $144.71. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,640,408 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,633,186. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.29. Walmart Inc has a 52 week low of $102.00 and a 52 week high of $151.33. The stock has a market cap of $409.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $139.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.97. Read more …

 

 

Acquisitions:

Nothing to mention.

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of October 12, 2020

 

Upgrades:

 

Westrock (NYSE:WRK) was upgraded by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $57.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $35.00. BMO Capital Markets’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 43.98% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on WRK. Bank of America upped their target price on Westrock from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “buy” rating and issued a $44.00 price objective (up from $40.00) on shares of Westrock in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Westrock in a report on Monday, June 15th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $28.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Westrock from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Westrock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Westrock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.27. Read more …

 

International Paper (NYSE:IP) was upgraded by investment analysts at BMO Capital Markets from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note issued on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $53.00 price target on the basic materials company's stock, up from their prior price target of $40.00. BMO Capital Markets' target price suggests a potential upside of 24.21% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded International Paper from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $48.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. ValuEngine raised International Paper from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. BofA Securities raised shares of International Paper from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of International Paper in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of International Paper from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $38.00 to $52.00 in a report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $44.14. Read more …

 

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) was upgraded by equities researchers at Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a $169.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $148.00. Citigroup‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 20.01% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on PEP. SunTrust Banks lifted their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on PepsiCo from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Investment Research downgraded PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $140.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Truist boosted their price target on PepsiCo from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. PepsiCo has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.13. Read more …

 

 

Chubb (NYSE:CB) was upgraded by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $152.00 price target on the financial services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target would indicate a potential upside of 26.19% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on CB. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Chubb from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating and set a $97.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Chubb from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Chubb from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. ValuEngine raised shares of Chubb from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Chubb from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $157.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Chubb currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.19. Read more …

25 Dividend Stocks the Analysts Love the Most

 

These blue-chip dividend stocks with yields of at least 3% are among the favorite stock picks of Wall Street's analyst community at the moment.

 

 

When it comes to Wall Street's favorite dividend stocks, the pros are all about energy companies and utilities these days.

 

Whether it's an increase in residential energy needs or a nascent recovery in commodity prices, analysts' most highly rated dividend stocks – firms such as oil and gas drillers, electric utilities, pipeline companies, oilfield services and other sector names – find themselves heavily over-represented.

 

To find analysts' favorite dividend stocks, we scoured the S&P 500 for dividend stocks with yields of more than 3%, excluding a number of extremely high yielders because of excessive risk. (Sometimes, a too-high yield can be a warning sign that a stock is in deep trouble.)

 

From that pool, we focused on stocks with an average broker recommendation of Buy or better. S&P Global Market Intelligence surveys analysts' stock ratings and scores them on a five-point scale, where 1.0 equals Strong Buy and 5.0 means Strong Sell. Any score of 2.5 or lower means that analysts, on average, rate the stock a Buy. The closer the score gets to 1.0, the stronger the Buy call.

 

 

 

 

Lastly, we dug into research and analysts' estimates on the top-scoring names.

 

That led us to these top 25 dividend stocks, by virtue of their high analyst ratings and bullish outlooks. Read on as we analyze what makes each one stand out.

 

Continue reading …

 

General Dynamics: Improved Profitability and Undervalued Stock

 

The profitability has increased in recent years while the stock continues to trade below its historical average valuation and the GF Value

  

Shares of aerospace and defense company General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) have declined 18.5% year-to-date and sit more than 24% off the 52-week high.

 

The company's aerospace segment has been weak over the past few quarters as new orders for Gulf Stream jets have slowed. With the economy in a delicate position due to the coronavirus pandemic, private jet orders have been out as well.

 

Covid-19 has also impacted General Dynamics' Information Technology business as business travel and site access resulted in a 13% year-over-year decline in the most recent quarter. These two segments account for almost half of the company's total business.

 

This helps explain the decline that has occurred in the stock in 2020. However, for investors with a horizon that spans longer than a few quarters, this could be an excellent opportunity to add General Dynamics to their portfolio.

 

Eventually, a recovery from Covid-19 will take place, which should ease the pressure on both the Aerospace and Information Technology segments. General Dynamics should benefit from increased defense spending that is occurring both in the U.S. and around the world.

 

 

 

 

Even with the headwinds it is facing, General Dynamics is a highly profitable company that I consider to be undervalued at the moment.

 

Continue reading …

 

8 Dividend Aristocrat Stocks to Buy Now

 

Here are the best dividend stocks to buy in a risky environment

 

 

After the big shock in March, many investors are still looking for defensive stocks to buy now. Of course, in the most extreme example, you can elect to go all into cash. However, history has proven that to be the worst thing to do. Instead, this is a good time to consider dividend aristocrats.

 

First, market uncertainty incentivizes stable dividend stocks to buy now. How so? Passive-income generating companies typically perform better than high-flying growth names during bearish phases.

 

For one thing, investors can still collect their payouts even if their portfolio isn’t doing too well. Moreover, organizations that have a history of consistent payouts tend to be levered toward secular or otherwise steady industries.

 

And there’s no better paragon of stability than dividend aristocrats. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, dividend aristocrats have three main requirements: they must be equities traded in the S&P 500, have 25 years-plus of dividend increases and meet size/liquidity benchmarks.

 

However, a word of caution. Just because you put dividend aristocrats in your list of stocks to buy now doesn’t guarantee a smooth ride. If the markets turn volatile, you can expect virtually all names to incur red ink.

 

But the major selling point is magnitude. With dividend aristocrats, you’re limiting your potential losses due to the robustness of the target company. Better yet, the volatility provides a rare discount for these stalwarts of industry.

 

So with that in mind, here are eight stocks to buy now with a long track record of payouts:

 

Continue reading …

 

Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: Week of October 5, 2020

 

Disposals:

Dominion Energy Inc (NYSE:D) Chairman Thomas F. Farrell II sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.28, for a total value of $4,014,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,038,262 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,351,673.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Shares of D stock traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $80.09. The company had a trading volume of 2,924,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,076,727. Dominion Energy Inc has a 12 month low of $57.79 and a 12 month high of $90.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 108.73, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $78.51 and its 200 day moving average is $78.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.64. Read more …

 

Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO) insider Kirsten M. Spears sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $364.06, for a total value of $1,820,300.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Shares of AVGO traded up $2.76 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $366.74. 1,227,290 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,691,714. The company has a market cap of $148.35 billion, a PE ratio of 68.81, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $353.05 and its 200-day moving average is $302.24. Broadcom Inc has a 52 week low of $155.67 and a 52 week high of $378.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.04. Read more …

 

Southern Co (NYSE:SO) EVP Christopher C. Womack sold 5,930 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.00, for a total value of $343,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $709,224. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

NYSE:SO traded down $0.03 on Wednesday, hitting $57.80. The company had a trading volume of 3,177,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,130,492. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $53.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.29. Southern Co has a 52 week low of $41.96 and a 52 week high of $71.10. Read more …

 

 

 

 

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) VP Stanley Polomski sold 6,075 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.07, for a total value of $292,025.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Shares of NYSE CPB traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $48.42. 1,690,946 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,572,976. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $48.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.16. Campbell Soup has a 12 month low of $40.70 and a 12 month high of $57.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. Read more …

 

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) insider Stephanie A. Lundquist sold 4,471 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.00, for a total value of $719,831.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $161.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The business's 50 day moving average price is $151.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.03 billion, a PE ratio of 23.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.87. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $90.17 and a 1 year high of $163.32. Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks' consensus estimate of $1.64 by $1.74. Target had a return on equity of 30.25% and a net margin of 4.16%. The firm had revenue of $22.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Target Co. will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year. Read more …

 

Acquisitions:

Nothing to mention.

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of October 5, 2020

 

 

Upgrades:

 

ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note issued on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $36.00 price target on the utilities provider's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 35.70% from the company's current price.

 

OKE has been the topic of several other research reports. Argus cut ONEOK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on ONEOK from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on ONEOK from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on ONEOK from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Scotiabank cut ONEOK from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.75. Read more …

 

Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) (NYSE:BMO) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Bank of America from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report issued on Tuesday, BayStreet.CA reports.

 

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on BMO. Canaccord Genuity lifted their target price on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$79.00 to C$80.50 in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$75.00 to C$86.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. TD Securities boosted their price target on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$84.00 to C$87.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Fundamental Research restated a "buy" rating and set a C$94.07 target price on shares of Bank of Montreal in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Credit Suisse Group upped their target price on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$75.00 to C$81.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. The company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of C$85.27. Read more …

 

Diageo (NYSE:DEO) was upgraded by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

 

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Bryan, Garnier & Co raised shares of Diageo from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $148.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $135.50. Read more …

 

 

 

 

Anheuser Busch Inbev (NYSE:BUD) was upgraded by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. Jefferies Financial Group also issued estimates for Anheuser Busch Inbev’s Q3 2020 earnings at $0.74 EPS, Q4 2020 earnings at $0.74 EPS, FY2020 earnings at $1.51 EPS, FY2021 earnings at $3.07 EPS and FY2022 earnings at $3.33 EPS.

 

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on BUD. Evercore ISI raised shares of Anheuser Busch Inbev from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Anheuser Busch Inbev in a report on Friday, September 18th. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Anheuser Busch Inbev from $52.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Anheuser Busch Inbev in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Anheuser Busch Inbev in a report on Sunday, September 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Anheuser Busch Inbev has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.00. Read more …

 

My 3 Best Dividend Stocks To Buy In October

 

Investing for income is difficult today and probably going to get a lot tougher over the next three years…

 

Wall Street will throw all kinds of crazy ideas at you that will allegedly raise your income level.

 

These products will raise someone's income level, but I suspect it will not be yours.

 

Millions of Americans will be looking for income as rates stay lower longer than anyone had thought possible.

 

In a recent press conference, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has said that rates will remain low until at least 2023, if not longer.

 

Inevitably, income-producing assets will be become bid up to excessive valuations.

 

Income investing will be difficult and frustrating beyond belief for most investors.

 

But there is hope…

 

If you take the simple rules that I'll teach you today, you will not be among the frustrated.

 

Instead, you will be a successful, happy income investor who sees a steady flow of income into your account and your money increasing faster than inflation over time.

 

All you have to do is look for companies where insiders own 20% of the company and the dividend is at least 6%.

 

Own a diverse portfolio of high yielding companies with high levels of insider ownership, and your results will be just fine.

 

Sure, it may not be as exciting as the latest and greatest product shoved down your throat by Wall Street, but this approach has two significant advantages…

 

First of all, it just works. And second, it's cheap, if not free, to execute depending on which broker you use.

 

You will own boring stocks most of the time. But your dividends will arrive every quarter with a high probability of increasing over time.

 

 

 

 

The people running these companies have the same goals you do as an investor. They want to generate income that can grow over time and for their money to escape the ravages of inflation.

 

That's why they set the dividend high to start with and why they will keep the payout growing… Continue reading …

 

Walgreens: A Dividend Growth Investor's Dream

 

A deep dive into the company's ability to continue paying dividends

 

Dividend growth investing isn't as easy as simply buying stocks trading at a yield that is appealing and then holding forever. Dividend growth investors do seek investments that provide income, but these investors usually have a time horizon that is very long. As these investors plan on living off dividend income in their retirement years, the holding period could easily be several decades.

 

Therefore, dividend growth investors have to be reasonably assured that their investment dollars are building positions in companies that will likely be able to continue paying and raising dividends in the future.

 

Aside from the dividend yield itself, there are several areas that dividend growth investors should review prior to making a stock purchase.

 

As such, we will use a variety of metrics in order to determine if Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) is worth purchasing.

 

Walgreens is the largest drug distributor in the world. The company has nearly 14,000 stores around the world, including almost 9,300 stores in the U.S. and its territories. Walgreens added 2,186 Rite Aid stores to its core business in 2017. The company is heavily dependent on its pharmacy business, as nearly three-quarters of last year's revenue came from this segment. General merchandise contributes the remaining quarter. Walgreens has a market capitalization of $31 billion.

 

 

 

 

Walgreens most recent quarter was challenging. Revenue was essentially flat, but adjusted earnings per share fell 44% and missed Wall Street analysts' projections.

 

That said, the company's revenue has steadily improved over the last decade.

 

Continue reading …

 

Canada’s Top High Yielding Dividend Stocks

 

High yielding Canadian dividend stocks. It doesn’t get any easier on the passive income front.

 

In fact, lots of investors in retirement are simply living off their dividend payments, keeping the principle of their investment portfolio intact.

 

Now, I’m not one to suggest an investor go out and find the top high yielding dividend stocks here in Canada and buy all of them. There’s typically huge warning signs when it comes to income stocks with a high yield.

 

If investing was as easy as just grabbing a bunch of dividend stocks with double-digit dividend yields, everybody would be rich.

 

However, you already know this. That’s exactly why you’ve come to this page. You want to know what the top high yielding dividend stocks are here in Canada. Ones with safe payout ratios and sustainable distributions.

 

Most of Canada’s Top High Yielding Dividend Stocks are Speculative.

 

There’s nothing wrong with this. You just have to be prepared to take on more risk, and ultimately live with a dividend cut at some point.

 

It’s safe to say that most companies cannot maintain a double-digit or even high single-digit dividend yield. There may be some times where price levels are depressed enough that an opportunity presents itself to grab a high yielding quality company on the cheap. Think of a pipeline company during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

 

 

There’s no dividend that’s completely “safe”. With high yielding stocks, I could argue there’s no dividend that’s even remotely safe.

 

But, its human nature to want more, even if it stretches the limits. And for that reason, I’m going to give you some of the highest yielding dividend stocks in Canada today.

 

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Intel Stock Is a Tremendous Value at $50

 

Intel stock deserves a lot more credit from investors

 

 It’s a booming market for most technology companies. However, some giants have gotten left behind. Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) is a fascinating case, as the market’s sentiment has turned harshly negative for Intel stock even though the company’s operating results are strong.

 

Since 2017, for example, Intel’s stock has risen from $33 to $50, making for a 50% gain. That’s a good outcome, right? Yet, bizarrely enough, Intel’s price-earnings ratio has gone down and sentiment has gotten worse for the company over this stretch. Back in 2017, Intel sold for 12-13x earnings. Now, it is down to a 9x P/E ratio.

 

Intel’s Improving Earnings

 

Back in 2017, Intel was earning around $2 per share per year in profits. And that had been relatively stable in prior years as well. Since then, however, earnings growth has exploded, with the company pulling in more than $5 per share in earnings last year. That’s 150% growth in a short period of time.

 

To be fair, Intel did receive a benefit from the corporate tax cut. That’s very real in the sense that it gives the company more profits with which to pay dividends and buy back stock, however it doesn’t reflect improvement in the structural quality of the business.

 

 

 

 

That said, earnings are up more than 150%; obviously that’s not just tax cuts. Since 2016, Intel’s revenues are up from $59 billion to $72 billion. That’s healthy growth. And management’s pre-Covid guidance saw this climbing to $85 billion annually over the next few years. The idea that Intel is totally stalled out simply isn’t accurate. What’s true is that the CPU business has minimal growth prospects.

 

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Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of September 28, 2020

 

Upgrades:

FedEx (NYSE:FDX) was upgraded by Deutsche Bank from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $318.00 price objective on the shipping service provider's stock. Deutsche Bank's price target suggests a potential upside of 27.11% from the company's current price.

 

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of FedEx from $232.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Berenberg Bank set a $280.00 price objective on shares of FedEx and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of FedEx from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $175.00 to $281.00 in a research note on Thursday. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of FedEx in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of FedEx from $205.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. FedEx presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.60. Read more …

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) was upgraded by equities research analysts at BofA Securities from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The firm presently has a $96.00 price target on the oil and gas company's stock. BofA Securities' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 33.65% from the stock's current price.

 

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. MKM Partners started coverage on shares of Chevron in a research report on Thursday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $121.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Chevron from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Chevron from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Scotiabank lowered shares of Chevron from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of Chevron in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Chevron presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.83. Read more …

ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) had its price target lowered by stock analysts at Bank of America from $35.00 to $31.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the utilities provider's stock. Bank of America's target price indicates a potential upside of 15.80% from the stock's current price.

 

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on ONEOK from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on ONEOK from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered ONEOK from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $33.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on ONEOK from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered ONEOK from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.60. Read more …

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) was upgraded by equities researchers at Cowen from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $99.00 target price on the coffee company's stock, up from their prior target price of $77.00. Cowen's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 16.75% from the stock's previous close.

 

Several other research firms also recently commented on SBUX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Starbucks from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Starbucks from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $86.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, June 8th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Starbucks from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Atlantic Securities began coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, June 15th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.42. Read more …

6 Monthly Dividend Stocks to Buy

 

These six stocks offer monthly payouts and potential upside

  

Most dividend stocks pay their shareholders quarterly, but a few dividend-yielding stocks offer monthly distributions.

 

The group is small: less than 100, with many of the offerings being exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or closed-end actively managed funds. And so investors looking for monthly dividend stocks to buy are limiting their universe quite a bit.

 

But there are quite a few attractive dividend-yielding stocks that payout monthly. Several offer compelling cases for both their upside and safe dividends, with attributes that go beyond simply the timing of their distributions.

 

 

 

 

These six stocks all fit that bill, offering not only monthly dividends but potential share price appreciation and reasonable payout ratios.

 

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