Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of October 13

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending October 13. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                          A.O. Smith (AOS): now $0.32 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.30. Agree Reality (ADC): now $0.247 per share monthly dividend, was $0.243. Avient (AVNT): now $0.2575 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.2475. Emera Incorporated (EMA:CA): now CAD 0.7175 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.6900. EQT (EQT): now $0.1575 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.1500. Gladstone Land (LAND): now $0.0464 per share quarterly dividend, … Read more

Investors Likely Overreacting to Long-Run Impact That Weight-Loss Drugs Will Have on Snack and Food Stocks

Image: Domino’s stock has slumped recently due to weakening same-store sales expansion and concerns that weight-loss drugs will have on snack and food demand. By Brian Nelson, CFA The American eater continues to fight the “battle of the bulge” as many seek improved lifestyles and the health benefits from losing weight and getting in shape. The healthcare industry is delivering on this front, too, with diabetes drugs from Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Eli Lilly (LLY) called GLP-1 agonists that also have weight-loss benefits. Though we applaud what looks to be a solution in part for the obesity epidemic that has overtaken the U.S., investors are growing concerned that snack and food stocks will see slackening demand. The retail sector, for … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of October 6

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending October 6. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                          AGNC Investment Series C Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (AGNCN): now $0.6825 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.6676. American Financial (AFG): now $0.71 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.63. Bank OZK (OZK): now $0.37 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.36. Bezeq The Israel Telecommunication Corp. Ltd (BZQIY): now $0.1226 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.0802. EVI (EVI): now $0.28 per share special dividend, … Read more

We Like NextEra Energy’s ESG Focus But Capital Market Conditions Now Showing Cracks

Image Source: NextEra Energy By Brian Nelson, CFA We’ve written in the past about NextEra Energy (NEE), and our latest note can be found here. The company remains one of our favorite utilities, but mostly because of its renewables energy exposure as it relates to ESG considerations. When it comes to utilities, more generally, however, we tend to take a pass on almost all of them given the capital intensity involved in their operations and their interest-rate sensitivity, especially now in an environment where interest rates are returning to “normal” levels in the mid-single-digits. The forward estimated dividend yield on the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) stands at ~3.8% at the time of this writing, and if investors are … Read more

Big Cap Tech and Large Cap Growth Remain Safe Havens

Image: The stylistic area of large cap growth, which is heavily represented in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, is doing fantastic so far in 2023. Hi everyone: Brian here. I wanted to check in to see how everyone is doing. As expected, many of the interest-rate sensitive names are getting hammered. This should not be surprising by any stretch. The utilities sector (XLU) is down more than 20% this year. We’ve emphasized why we’re not fans of utilities in this article. The consumer staples (XLP) sector is down nearly 8% so far in 2023. We’ve emphasized why we’re not expecting much from consumer staples in this article. Equity REITs (VNQ) are down more than 8% year-to-date, and we’ve emphasized why … Read more

Latest Report Refreshes

Select the company’s link below to access their stock webpage where their 16-page stock report (pdf) can be downloaded. The stock webpage also houses the company’s dividend report (pdf), where applicable, as well as the latest company/industry commentary and news.    Comcast (CMCSA) Coterra Energy (CTRA) Dish Network (DISH) Kinder Morgan (KMI) Medtronic (MDT) Merck (MRK) Zoetis (ZTS) Schlumberger (SLB) Baker Hughes (BKR) Alcoa (AA) BHP Billiton (BHP) EOG Resources (EOG) ———- It’s Here!  The Second Edition of Value Trap! Order today!   —– Brian Nelson owns shares in SPY, SCHG, QQQ, DIA, VOT, BITO, RSP, and IWM. Valuentum owns SPY, SCHG, QQQ, VOO, and DIA. Brian Nelson’s household owns shares in HON, DIS, HAS, NKE, DIA, and RSP. Some of the … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of September 29

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 29. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                          Accenture (ACN): now $1.29 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.12. Bancolombia S.A. (CIB): now $0.892 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.852. Bankinter, S.A. (BKNIY): now $0.1105 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.0818. Barratt Development plc (BTDPY): now $0.5893 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.2535. Bid Corporation Limited (BDDDY): now $0.266 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.240. CenterPoint (CNP): now $0.20 per share quarterly dividend, … Read more

In the News: McDonald’s, Costco, Target

By Brian Nelson, CFA The market is once again worried about a potential government shutdown in the U.S., beginning on Sunday, as Congress works on a budget for fiscal 2024 through the rest of September. This recurring news has been a seasonal part of the market’s jitters every few years or so, however, and we’re not worried about what we would describe as an overhyped risk. A potential government shutdown in the U.S., if it happens, will inevitably be resolved, and while it tends to make for scary media headlines, it just doesn’t factor into the thesis of long-term investors. We don’t think readers should overreact. That said, it’s hard to know how the markets may continue to perform with … Read more

Report Updates: Amazon Registers the Lowest Rating on Our Scale

Select the company’s link below to access their stock webpage where their 16-page stock report (pdf) can be downloaded. The stock webpage also houses the company’s dividend report (pdf), where applicable, as well as the latest company/industry commentary and news.    Albemarle (ALB) Amazon.com (AMZN) Applied Materials (AMAT) Cisco (CSCO) Halliburton (HAL) Lam Research (LRCX) Phillips 66 (PSX) Visa (V) CVS Health (CVS) Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) AbbVie (ABBV) Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) Gilead Sciences (GILD) Pfizer (PFE) Abbott (ABT) Oracle (ORCL) Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) Fresh Del Monte (FDP) Kraft Heinz (KHC) Lancaster Colony (LANC) McCormick (MKC) Molson Coors (TAP) Smucker (SJM) Sysco (SYY) ———- It’s Here!  The Second Edition of Value Trap! Order today!   —– Brian Nelson owns shares in SPY, SCHG, QQQ, … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of September 22

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 22. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                          American Tower (AMT): now $1.62 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.57. Argan (AGX): now $0.30 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.25. Axfood (AXFOY): now SEK 4.00 per share dividend. Costain Group (CTNGY): now GBP 0.004 per share semi-annual dividend. E Split Corp. PFD (ENS.PR.A:CA): now CA 0.175 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.1312. Equity Bancshares (EQBK): now $0.12 per share quarterly dividend, was … Read more