There Is Milk At The Store

This article first appeared in the September edition of the High Yield Dividend Newsletter. For more information about this publication, please see here. “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” — Winston Churchill By Brian Nelson, CFA Very few of us could have imagined that we’d witness the bull market that began on that fateful day in March 2009 that might very well mark a generational low. In 2009, major investment banks around the globe were struggling to survive, and the fallout in the mortgage markets left the banks holding paper that nobody wanted to own, let alone buy. The global financial system … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week November 13

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending November 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 Absolute Software (ABST): now CAD 0.08 per share quarterly dividend. Air Lease (AL): now $0.16 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.15. Assurant (AIZ): now $0.66 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.63. Atmos Energy (ATO): now $0.625 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.575. Automatic Data Processing (ADP): now $0.93 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.91. Bancroft Fund (BCV): now $2.25 per share year-end dividend, was $0.29. Barings … Read more

2,350-2,750 on the S&P? Could the Coronavirus Catalyze a Financial Crisis?

Image: We think a rather modest sell-off in the market to the target range of 2,350-2,750 on the S&P 500 is rather reasonable in the wake of one of the biggest economic shocks since the Global Financial Crisis. The chart above shows how far markets have advanced since 2011, and an adjustment lower to the target range of 2,350-2,750 is rather modest in such a context and would only bring markets to late 2018 levels (note red box as the target range). The range reflects ~16x S&P 500 12-month forward earnings estimates, as of February 14, adjusted down 10% due to COVID-19. When companies like Visa talk about a couple percentage points taken off of growth rates, one knows that … Read more

Stock Market Outlook for 2021

By Valuentum Analysts February 8, 2021 2020 was one for the history books. We covered our thoughts and reflections on the past year in our “2020 Won’t Soon Be Forgotten” article (link here), and now we are looking towards the future. Global health authorities should be able to bring an end to the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic sooner than many had expected as several vaccines have already been improved for emergency use and several others appear increasingly likely to get approved. Global vaccine distribution activities are currently underway, and this should allow the world to slowly return to pre-pandemic activities. Before then, immense stimulus measures launched primarily in developed nations should support global economic activities until the public health crisis … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of November 10

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending November 10. 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                          Air Lease (AL): now $0.21 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.20. Airtel Africa Plc (AAFRF): now $0.0238 per share semi-annual dividend. Artesian Resources (ARTNA): now $0.2897 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.2840. Assurant (AIZ): now $0.72 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.70. Atmos Energy (ATO): now $0.805 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.740. Autoliv (ALV): now $0.68 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.66. Automatic … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week November 12

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending November 12. 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 Angel Oak Mortgage (AOMR): now $0.36 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.12. Assurant (AIZ): now $0.68 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.66. Astec (ASTE): now $0.12 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.11. Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure (AY): now $0.435 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.430. Atmos Energy (ATO): now $0.68 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.63. Autoliv (ALV): now $0.64 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.62. Automatic … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of November 8

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending November 8. 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                          Air Lease (AL): now $0.22 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.21. Aker BP (AKRBF): now $0.600 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.174. American Financial (AFG): now $4.00 per share special dividend, was $0.80. Arch Capital (ACGL): now $5.00 per share special dividend. Artesian Resources (ARTNA): now $0.3014 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.2955. Atmos Energy (ATO): now $0.87 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.81. … Read more

US Congress Is Getting Ready to Pass a Massive ~$2.2 Trillion Fiscal Stimulus Bill

Image Shown: US equities have started to recover some of their lost ground as the likelihood that the US Congress will pass a massive ~$2.2 trillion fiscal stimulus and emergency spending package, dubbed the CARES Act, has increased significantly over the past week as seen through the bounce in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY). President Trump has clearly indicated that he intends to sign such a bill into law as soon as possible, with the US House of Representatives expected to take up the legislation this upcoming Friday morning on March 27. By Callum Turcan On March 25, the US Senate worked late into the night to secure a bipartisan compromise on a massive ~$2.2 trillion fiscal stimulus … Read more