Excited By COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates

Image Shown: The race is on to find a cure, or better yet a vaccine, for COVID-19. Image Source: Pfizer Inc – First Quarter 2020 Earnings IR Presentation Key Takeaways The race for a COVID-19 cure and vaccine is rapidly evolving with a lot of exciting press releases being put forth. Gilead has taken the lead with a viable treatment, Sorrento is working toward a cure, and it seems most all of big pharma and biotech is racing to find a vaccine, from Johnson & Johnson to Sanofi/GSK and beyond. Though the evaluation of the full data set from a Phase 2 clinical trial means a lot more than the evaluation of a limited set of data from a Phase … Read more

Assessing Reactions to Trump’s Victory

Image Source: Gage Skidmore Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States of America. Let’s dig into some of the reactions across the market. We’re keeping our cool. By Kris Rosemann and Brian Nelson, CFA The global markets often don’t know what to make of surprises, a characteristic that was on full display as news came rolling in that Donald Trump would soon become the 45th President of the United States, “trumping” Secretary Hillary Clinton in a decisive electoral college victory, despite the popular vote eventually going to the Democratic candidate. In the wee hours of the morning Wednesday, November 9, major markets across the globe were in shock, showing red almost across the board. At one … Read more

Top Ten Dividend Growth Stocks to Consider Amid COVID-19

Image Shown: A look at some of the top dividend growth stocks to consider, companies with strong Dividend Cushion ratios and nice payout growth trajectories, in light of ongoing turbulence in equity markets. The ‘Multiplier’ column multiplies a company’s dividend yield by its Dividend Cushion ratio. Alphabetical order by ticker: AAPL, CSCO, DLR, INTC, JNJ, LLY, MRK, MSFT, NEM, RL By Callum Turcan The novel coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic continues to wreak havoc on global economies, credit and equity markets, and the livelihoods of many. We sincerely hope everyone stays safe during this pandemic. US equities have sold off aggressively during the past month, with the S&P 500 (SPY) down ~25% year-to-date as of this writing, punishing the names of several … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week December 18

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending December 18. 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 ABM Industries (ABM): now $0.19 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.185. Acme United (ACU): now $0.13 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.12. Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS): now $0.10 per share quarterly dividend. Algoma Central Corporation (AGMJF): now CAD 2.65 per share special dividend, was CAD 0.12. Amgen (AMGN): now $1.76 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.60. Artis Real Estate Investment Trust (ARESF): now $0.04635 per share … Read more

Our Thoughts on Big Pharma’s Calendar Fourth Quarter Earnings Reports

Image Source: Merck & Company Inc – Fourth Quarter of 2021 IR Earnings Presentation By Callum Turcan In Alphabetical Order by Ticker: ABBV, GILD, LLY, MRK We include the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF (XLV) in the Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolios to gain broad exposure to the health care sector. Instead of betting on one entity’s pipeline (which could be hit or miss), we like the exposure to lots and lots of “shots on goal” when it comes to the vast collective pipeline in the XLV ETF. We wrote up the calendar fourth-quarter results of the top two weightings in the XLV ETF, United Health (UNH) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) here and here, … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending December 16

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending December 16. 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 ABM Industries (ABM): now $0.17 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.165. AES (AES): now $0.12 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.11. American Tower (AMT): now $0.58 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.55. Andersons (ANDE): now $0.16 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.155. Avianca (AVH): now $0.032 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.03. Balchem (BCPC): now $0.38 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.34. Boeing (BA): now $1.42 … 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

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of December 13

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending December 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                          Abbott Laboratories (ABT): now $0.59 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.55. AGNC Investment Corp. 6.5% DP SH PFD E (AGNCO): now $0.6326 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.4062. Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE): now $1.32 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.30. Amgen (AMGN): now $2.38 per share quarterly dividend, was $2.25. Andersons (ANDE): now $0.195 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.190. Andover Bancorp, Inc. … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of December 16

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending December 16. 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                Absecon Bancorp (ASCN): now $2.20 per share annual dividend, was $2.10. Algoma Central Corporation (ALC:CA): now CAD 1.35 per share special dividend, was CAD 0.17. Alpha Metallurgical (AMR): now $0.418 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.392. Ambev (ABEV): now $0.1457 per share annual dividend, was $0.08. AMEN Properties (AMEN): now $12.50 per share quarterly dividend, was $10.00. American Vanguard (AVD): now $0.03 per share quarterly … Read more