BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Nothing does a better job of selling dividend investing like a market correction. So, in a lot of ways, the almost 5% decline in the S&P 500 this year was really a sales pitch for dividend investing.
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Dividends are one of just a few ways that companies can directly impact their share prices. And between record earnings and more than $1.25 trillion in cash held on S&P 500 companies' balance sheets, there's a lot of latent value yet to be unlocked.
More important, that value translates into capital gains.
Over the last three and a half decades, dividends stocks have outperformed the rest of the S&P 500 by 2.5% annually, and they outperformed nonpayers by nearly 8% every year, according to data compiled by Ned Davis Research. The numbers are even more compelling when looking at companies that consistently increase their payouts.
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Top 5 Gas Stocks To Watch Right Now: L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL)
L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, L-3 Communications Corporation, provides command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C3ISR) systems; aircraft modernization and maintenance; and government services in the United States and internationally. Its C3ISR segment offers fleet management sustainment and support, such as procurement, systems integration, sensor development, modifications, and periodic depot maintenance for signals intelligence and communications intelligence systems; strategic and tactical signals intelligence systems; secure data links; secure terminal and communication network equipment and encryption management; and communication systems. The company?s Government Services segment provides communication software support, information technology services, and various engineering development services and integration support; engineering and information systems support services; teaching and training; h uman intelligence support services; command and control systems and software services; and technical and management services. Its Aircraft Modernization and Maintenance segment offers modernization and refurbishments, upgrades and sustainment, maintenance, and logistics support services, as well as turnkey aviation life cycle management services for military and various government and commercial customers. The company?s Electronic Systems segment provides components, products, subsystems, systems, and related services across various business areas, including power and control systems, electro-optic/infrared, microwave, simulation and training, precision engagement, warrior systems, security and detection, propulsion systems, avionics and displays, telemetry and advanced technology, undersea warfare, and marine services. L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Command, control and communications leader L-3 Communications (LLL) raised its quarterly dividend 9% to 60 cents per share, payable March 17 to shareholders of record as of March 3.
LLL Dividend Yield: 2.12%
Best Dividend Companies To Invest In 2014: SuperValu Inc.(SVU)
SUPERVALU INC., together with its subsidiaries, operates retail food stores in the United States. Its stores offer grocery, general merchandise, health and beauty care, pharmacy, and fuel products. The company operates stores under the Acme, Albertsons, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher?s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw?s, Shop ?n Save, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, and Star Market banners, as well as in-store pharmacies under the Osco and Sav-on banners. It operates approximately 2,394 traditional and hard-discount retail food stores, including 899 licensed Save-A-Lot stores. The company also offers supply chain services, which include wholesale distribution of products to independent retailers, including single and multiple grocery store independent operators, regional and national chains, mass merchants, and the military customers, as well as provides logistics support services. SUPERVALU was founded in 1871 and is based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Caroline Bennett]
Grocery store chain SUPERVALU (NYSE: SVU ) has appointed Bruce Besanko to be its new executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective as of Aug. 7.
Best Dividend Companies To Invest In 2014: Prospect Capital Corporation(PSEC)
Prospect Capital Corporation is a mezzanine finance and private equity firm that specializes in late venture, middle market, mature, mezzanine, buyouts, recapitalizations, growth capital, development, and bridge transactions. It makes secured debt and equity investments. The firm typically invests across all industry sectors, with a particular expertise in the energy and industrial sectors. It invests in oil and gas production, coal production, materials, industrials, consumer discretionary, information technology, utilities, pipeline, storage, power generation and distribution, renewable and clean energy, oilfield services, healthcare, food and beverage, education, business services, and other select sectors. The firm prefers to invest in the United States and Canada. It seeks to invest between $5 million to $50 million in companies with EBITDA between $$ million and $75 million, sales value up to $500 million, and enterprise value of up to $250 million. The firm also co- invests for larger deals. It seeks control acquisitions by providing multiple levels of the capital structure. Prospect Capital Corporation was founded in 1988 and is based in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Amanda Alix]
Similarly, Prospect Capital (NASDAQ: PSEC ) recently announced�the next four months' worth of dividends, showcasing a yield of 12.7%. Further, management noted that its liabilities are locked in for the next 30 years, while its loans float with LIBOR, putting them in the catbird seat as far as rising interest rates are concerned.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
But one concern is that investors are paying too much for BDCs. Like Ares, peers Prospect Capital (NASDAQ: PSEC ) and Fifth Street Finance (NASDAQ: FSC ) also carry share prices that are higher than the net value of the assets on their books. Yet Ares trades at a substantially higher premiums to NAV than Prospect or Fifth Street, suggesting that they're more comfortable with the quality of Ares' assets compared to its rivals.
- [By Rick Munarriz]
We can start with Prospect Capital (NASDAQ: PSEC ) .
The business development company declared its next four monthly distributions on Monday of last week, a day before posting fresh financials. Prospect Capital will be increasing its rate every month -- yes, it pays monthly distributions -- from June through at least September.
- [By Jordan Wathen]
Is it time for a stock buyback at Prospect Capital� (NASDAQ: PSEC ) ?
When business development companies trade substantially below their last-reported net asset values, or NAV, repurchasing shares can be quite beneficial for shareholders. A repurchase allows a BDC to essentially acquire a portfolio of loans and investments at prices below their stated value.
Best Dividend Companies To Invest In 2014: Avon Products Inc. (AVP)
Avon Products Inc. manufactures and markets beauty and related products worldwide. Its product categories include color cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, and personal care; fashion jewelry, watches, apparel, footwear, and accessories; and gift and decorative products, housewares, entertainment and leisure, and children?s and nutritional products. Avon Products Inc. markets its products through direct selling and independent representatives, as well as through distributorships. The company was founded in 1886 and is based in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
The market, however, clearly hasn’t taken it that way, as Herbalife’s shares have dropped 4% to $70.21. Direct seller Avon Products (AVP) has fallen 1.2% to $20.67, while nutritional-product retailer GNC Holdings (GNC) has declined 1.6% to $53.81.
- [By Grace L. Williams]
You don’t have to go door to door to find dismal news about Avon (AVP) today. Between the stock tanking over 20% and the company�� announcements of a weak third-quarter topped with news that federal regulators are increasing the penalties to resolve its ongoing bribery probe, it�� one ugly afternoon for the beauty product and cosmetics company.
The Wall Street Journal�� Serena Ng and Anna Prior recapped Avon�� woes nicely this afternoon:
The government’s position, disclosed by Avon in a regulatory filing, adds another big weight on a company already struggling to turn around a string of poor results. On Thursday, the door-to-door seller of makeup and consumer products reported a third-quarter loss following a steep drop in sales in the U.S. and China.
Regarding the bribery probe, the WSJ writes:
Avon has been trying to resolve a federal bribery probe that has dogged it since 2008 and has already racked up roughly $340 million in legal and related costs. The company is in talks with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department to settle an investigation into whether Avon breached the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by providing gifts or making payments to officials in China and other countries to get licenses to sell its products.
Analysts were mixed-to-negative in reaction to the news, revising their recommendations and slashing price targets. Rommel Dionisio of Wedbush, for one, cut the price target to $21 from $24, writing:
Avon reported third-quarter revenue of $2.323 billion and adjusted earnings-per-share of 14 cents, again short of consensus forecasts of $2.443 billion and 19 cents, respectively. Overall local currency sales fell 1%, sequentially worse than the 2% growth seen in the second quarter, as sharp declines in North America (18%) and Asia-Pacific (19%) were partially offset by growth in Latin America (6%).
We believe shares of Avon should trade at a 5%-10% disc
- [By Ben Levisohn]
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.5% to 15,545.75, led by big drops in Visa –down 3.5% after releasing disappointing earnings–JPMorgan Chase–off 2% after it and other large banks were sued by Fannie Mae–and American Express (AXP), which fell 1.6% to $81.80. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% to 1,756.54, as Avon (AVP)� plunged 22% on bad earnings and the likelihood of a larger-than-expected settlement with the SEC, and MetLife (MET) dipped 3.5% on disappointing earns and said it would no longer offering future guidance.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Consumer staples are great to have in a portfolio for periods of market weakness, but when investors are expecting the economy to pick up, not so much. And that, perhaps, explains why Deutsche Bank upgraded Estee Lauder (EL), and listed Avon Products (AVP) as its top Cosmetics, Household & Personal Care pick for 2014, over companies such as Procter & Gamble (PG) and Coca-Cola (KO).
Best Dividend Companies To Invest In 2014: Federated Investors Inc. (FII)
Federated Investors, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides its services to individuals, including high net worth individuals, banking or thrift institutions, investment companies, pension and profit sharing plans, pooled investment vehicles, charitable organizations, state or municipal government entities, and registered investment advisors. Through its subsidiaries, it manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and money market mutual funds and separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. The firm invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. It invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap companies. The firm makes its fixed income investments in ultra-short, short-term, and intermediate-term mortgage-backed, U.S. Government, U.S. Corporate, high yield, and municipal securities. It employs a fundamental and a quantitative analysis to make its equity investmen ts. The firm also makes sector-focused equity investments. Federated Investors was founded in 1955 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with an additional office in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
For money market fund managers, the debt ceiling drama is just the latest in a long series of challenges. Low rates have forced Federated Investors (NYSE: FII ) , Schwab (NYSE: SCHW ) , and many other major money market fund managers to subsidize their funds, accepting reduced management fees just to keep their interest rates from going negative. As the graph below shows, fund levels have fallen sharply in response to those low rates as well, hurting fund managers' profitability.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Lately, though, T. Rowe Price hasn't benefited as much from share-price gains. Competitor Invesco (NYSE: IVZ ) has managed to expand its margins and produce growth among its current lineup of funds, with exposure to a big range of markets that leaves it broadly placed to serve its customers' needs. But for T. Rowe Price and peer Federated Investors (NYSE: FII ) , investors haven't been putting as much money to work in their funds as analysts had expected to see, and that has led to some growth shortfalls. Federated in particular missed its earnings estimates in its most recent quarter, and analysts see growth there slowing to just 3%. T. Rowe Price has better prospects, retaining its double-digit revenue growth, but after a substantial move upward at the beginning of the year, its stock has treaded water.
- [By Jordan Wathen]
A federation of free cash flow
Federated Investors (NYSE: FII ) �also�looks appealing, even though its biggest business isn't contributing to the bottom line.
Best Dividend Companies To Invest In 2014: Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC)
Wisconsin Energy Corporation engages in the generation, distribution, and sale of electric energy and steam. The company also involves in the purchase, distribution, and sale of natural gas to retail customers, as well as in the transportation of customer-owned natural gas in Wisconsin. It generates electricity from coal, natural gas, wind, and hydro sources. The company offers its services under ?We Energies? name. It serves approximately 1,120,200 electric customers in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; approximately 1,064,500 gas customers in Wisconsin; and approximately 460 steam customers in metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition, the company invests and develops in real estate properties, including business parks and other commercial real estate projects primarily in southeastern Wisconsin. It provides electric utility service to industries, such as mining, paper, foundry, food products, and machinery production, as well as to retail chains. The c ompany was founded in 1981 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
Integrys Energy Group (NYSE: TEG) shares shot up 12.90 percent to $68.81 after Wisconsin Energy (NYSE: WEC) announced its plans to acquire Integrys Energy Group in a deal valued at $9.1 billion.
- [By Melvin Backman]
5. Buying power in energy stocks: Wisconsin Energy (WEC) announced this morning that it will acquire Integrys Energy Group (TEG) for for $71 per share in order to increase its natural gas business and its footprint in the Great Lakes region. Wisconsin's stock is flat, and Integrys shares have jumped over 14% to nearly $70.
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