TRN

Norfolk Southern’s Environmental and Safety Troubles Plague Stock

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Image: Norfolk Southern’s environmental troubles have sent its stock back to pre-pandemic levels. The company is yet another example of why companies cannot take for granted how their operations can negatively impact the environment. Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) dynamics have always commanded a large share of executives’ mindshare, but ESG investing has taken on a more prominent role in investing given the preference of many investors to hold stock in companies that share their personal values. But this isn’t lip service. Entities that aren’t taking the highest care when it comes to protecting the environment and ensuring employee/consumer safety can face a whirlwind of negative publicity and huge backlash that can have … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week September 10

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 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 A-Mark (AMRK): now $2.00 per share special dividend, was $1.50. Bluerock Residential Growth REIT PFD SER D (BRG): now $0.47656 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.1625. Buckle (BKE): now $0.40 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.33. Cheniere Energy (LNG): now $0.33 per share quarterly dividend. China Petroleum & Chemical (SNP): now RNB 0.16 per share semi-annual dividend, was RNB 0.13. Lamar Advertising (LAMR): now $1.00 per … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending September 6

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 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 Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Trust (FINS): now $0.1181 per share monthly dividend, was $0.1171. Brady (BRC): now $0.2175 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.2125. DMC Global (BOOM): now $0.125 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.02. Eaton Vance Floating Rate Income Trust (EFT): now $0.0770 per share monthly dividend, was $0.0760. Eaton Vance Senior Floating-Rate Fund (EFR): now $0.0770 per share monthly dividend, was $0.0760. Eaton … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending March 8

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending March 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 Aecon (AEGXF): now CAD 0.145 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.125. Americold Realty Trust (COLD): now $0.20 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.1875. American Tower (AMT): now $0.90 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.84. Applied Materials (AMAT): now $0.21 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.20. Armanino Foods of Distinction (AMNF): now $0.025 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.0225. BWX Technologies (BWXT): now $0.17 per share … Read more

Brace for More Volatility

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Image shown: The S&P 500 ETF (SPY) since August of last year. The markets have broken through key support levels, and now support has become resistance. Volatility remains heightened since the low-vol ETN blew up in February. This article is the introduction to both the Dividend Growth Newsletter and High Yield Dividend Newsletter, both of which will be released today due to the holiday January 1. By Brian Nelson, CFA Markets are facing big pressure on the trading session January 3. There’s more to the story than rising interest rates. There’s more to the story than the US-China trade war. There’s more to the story than concerns about the political environment. Price-agnostic (indexing and quant) trading, as I outline in … Read more

Air Quality Standards Take Aim at Coal

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After competing with an abundance of lower-priced, cleaner natural gas, coal miners (KOL) may now have to deal with more demand headwinds as governments aim to reduce coal burning. The US Expectations are already for as much as 27 gigawatts’ worth of coal generation (about 8.5% of the US coal fleet) to retire by 2016. This percentage could rise to nearly 17% (one-sixth) by 2020, according to the Energy Information Administration. In addition to the expected retirements, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to block all new coal-fired plants unless the construction of these plants coincides with expensive technology that captures greenhouse gas emissions. Image Source: Energy Information Administration Though the EPA forecasts that no traditional coal-fired power plants (1) … Read more

Valuentum’s Joint Outlook for the Railroad and Coal Industries

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Key Takeaways: North American railroads operate as an oligopoly, benefit from substantial barriers to entry, and boast significant pricing power. Free cash flow generation trends are strong at the largest operators–Union Pacific (UNP) and Canadian National (CNI)–but industry-wide free cash flow margins (free cash flow divided by revenue) average in the mid-single-digits as elevated maintenance capital costs weigh on conversion rates. Canadian National and Union Pacific are currently the most efficient operators (as measured by their respective operating ratios), while Genessee & Wyoming (GWR) and Canadian Pacific (CP) trail the pack. Coal is the single most important commodity to the railroads, accounting for more than 20% of class I railroad freight revenue. Though US coal volumes should advance over the … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending May 5

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending May 5. 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 Campus Communities (ACC): now $0.44 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.42. Ameriprise Financial (AMP): now $0.83 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.75. Apple (AAPL): now $0.63 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.57. Arbor Realty Trust (ABR): now $0.18 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.17. Artesian Resources (ARTNA): now $0.2317 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.2283. Barnes Group (B): now $0.14 per share quarterly dividend, was … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending May 8

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending May 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 Agree Realty (ADC): now $0.60 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.58. Algonquin Power & Utilities (AQN): now $0.1551 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.1410. Ameriprise Financial (AMP): now $1.04 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.97. B2Gold (BTG): now $0.02 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.01. Baxter (BAX): now $0.245 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.220. Brookfield Infrastructure (BIPC): now $0.485 per share quarterly dividend. Century Next … Read more

Stock Market Outlook for 2021

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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