Natural Gas Stocks are a Gas Gas Gas

Natural gas has tanked 39% this year, the worst performer of all the commodities. Natural gas should increase to $4 per million BTU pretty soon, according to Goldman Sachs (GS). This is primarily due to production cutbacks from major producers and increased demand from utilities this year. It is significant since gas dropped 39% this year, the worst performing of all utilities.

There are many publicly traded companies involved in the distribution of natural gas, to both homes and businesses, and over 15 over them have yields in excess of 3%. For example, TransCanada Corp. (TRP), based in Calgery, Alberta, Canada, owns and operates natural gas pipelines and regulated gas storage facilities throughout Northern California. The company, which trades at 20 times earnings, pays a generous yield of 4.0%. (Talk to your accountant about foreign withholding tax, especially when foreign stocks are put in a retirement plan.) Earnings for the latest quarter were up 37.5% on a 14.7% rise in revenues.

Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD) is another high yielder gas company, which yields 4.9%. The stock trades at 21.6 times earnings, and earnings for the latest reported quarter ending December 31, were up an amazing 351.3% year over year, on a revenue increase of 20.9%. The company reports earning on May 2.

More options are available and worth further research including Northwest Natural Gas (NWN) at a 3.9% yield, WGL Holdings Inc (WGL) paying 4.0%, and Sempra Energy (SRE) at 3.7%. You can access a free list of over 25 natural gas companies, along with their price to earnings data, at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

A Daily Dose of Drama

Turner Network Television, more commonly known as TNT, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, which is a division of Time Warner Inc. (TWX) which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, has come up with an interesting way of giving someone a dose of drama.





Special thanks to Casey Research for finding this video.

Top Yielding Electric Utilities

With the volatility of the stock market recently, many investors have decided to stick with the tried and true income generating investments called utilities. Investors like the steady income and relative stability of electric utility stocks, which pay quarterly dividends. Some income investors use a 'laddering' technique, whereby they purchase three utilities with dividend payout days in different months, in order to achieve income coming in every month of the year.

The yields on these stock range from 3.0% to above 7.0%, according to the free list of electric utility stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. There are over 30 different utilities to choose from.

An interesting utility is Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. (HE). This is one of the leading utilities involved in the utilization of renewable energy sources for the generation of electricity. The sources include wind, solar, photovoltaic, geothermal, wave, hydroelectric, sugarcane waste, municipal waste, and other biofuels. There must be something to this as the latest reported quarterly earnings ending December 31 were up over 38% on a 22% increase in revenues. With a 4.7% yield and trading at 17 times forward earnings, this stock might be worth a closer look. On May 8, the company reports earnings for the quarter ending March 31.

 Duke Energy (DUK) also pays 4.7%, as does Westar Energy (WR). They also both happen to have forward price to earnings ratios of 14.

Another high yield example is Ameren Corporation (AEE), which operates as a public utility holding company which serves customers in Missouri and Illinois. The stock trades at 17 times forward earnings and pays a nice yield of 5.0%. This St. Louis based company generates its electricity from coal, nuclear, gas, and hydroelectric sources. The company reports earnings on May 4.

For a list of over 30 high yield electric utility stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

 By Stockerblog.com

Socially Irresponsible High Yield Stocks

Many investors and a few mutual funds will purposely avoid investing in certain companies that are in industries that are not considered socially responsible, such as Alcohol, Animal Testing, Weapons, Gambling, Tobacco, Oil, Coal, and Nuclear Energy. However, stocks in one of these industries, cigarettes and tobacco, the yields re quite high.

Cigarettes are still selling well, in spite of the cigarette pack warnings, in spite of the anti-smoking cigarette commercials, and in spite of the upcoming gross anti-smoking warnings that are expected to appear on cigarette packages.

I don't smoke and I don't ever remember investing in a tobacco company. But there are investors who are just primarily concerned about the financials of a company, as opposed to the company's products. There are actually ten publicly traded cigarette and tobacco companies, most of which pay decent dividends, that have been turned up by WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Yields range from 3.5% to 9.3%.

One example is Lorillard, Inc. (LO) has a dividend payout rate of 4.5%. The stock, which markets the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, and Max brands, trades at 14 times forward earnings.

Altria Group Inc. (MO), which is a Virginia based company that makes and markets cigarettes, cigars, and beer. It is the largest cigarette company by market cap in the US. The stock has a forward price to earning ratio of 13.5, and pays a very generous yield of 5.5%. The company's brands include Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, Basic, L&M, Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky.

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) makes and markets cigarettes and other tobacco products including the Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Doral, Winston, Salem, Misty, Capri, Dunhill, and Natural American Spirit brands. The stock has a forward PE ratio of 13.1, and pays a nice yield of 5.4%.

For a free list of all the high yield tobacco stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Also, if you haven't seen the Graphic Color Anti Smoking Pictures to Appear on Cigarette Packs, you should check them out.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.


By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of May 2012

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

CMS Energy Corporation    (CMS) market cap:    $5.7B    ex-div date: 5/2/2012    yield: 4.3%

E.ON AG (ADR)    (EONGY) market cap:        $43.1B    ex-div date: 5/1/2012    yield: 5.8%

National Penn Bancshares    (NPBC) market cap:        $1.4B    ex-div date: 5/2/2012    yield: 3.1%

Natural Resource Partners LP    (NRP) market cap:        $2.6B    ex-div date: 5/2/2012    yield: 8.9%

Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.    (PAA) market cap:        $13.0B    ex-div date: 5/2/2012    yield: 5.2%

Intel Corporation    (INTC) market cap:        $138.2B    ex-div date: 5/3/2012    yield: 3.0%

The Southern Company    (SO) market cap:        $39.8B    ex-div date: 5/3/2012    yield: 4.3%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:
Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.


Monthly Dividend Stock List Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Weekly Facebook Stock News April 23

Here is the latest news about Facebook stock and the upcoming Facebook IPO stock offering:


Facebook's pending IPO poised to shake up SV150 rankings

Does Timing of Facebook IPO matter?

Use Facebook to Buy Stocks

Facebook will Float on Stock Market on May 17

Woman Accused of Selling Fake Facebook Stock
 
Additional Charges in Fake Facebook Stock sale

Facebook May Have Paid MORE Than $1 Billion For Instagram

Here's How Much Facebook Thinks It's Actually Worth

For a free list of companies that own Facebook stock, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com

Coffee Beans Help With Weight Loss: More News You've Been Waiting For

Here is some great news for coffee drinkers interested in losing weight. According to a recent study presented at the American Chemical Society's meeting in San Diego, participants in the study who took unroasted, green coffee bean extract lost in excess of 10% of their body weight on average, in less than six month. Please note: that's not ten pounds, that's ten percent. So for someone weighing 150 pounds, that's a 15 pound loss. For someone who weighs 250 pounds, it is a 25 pound loss.

The study analyzed 16 overweight adults between the ages of 22 to 46 years of age. The average weight loss was 17 pounds with a 16 percent decrease in body fat, with no side effects. Researchers at the University of Scranton believe that it may be due to the chlorogenic acid in the unroasted coffee bean. Unfortunately, roasted coffee has much less of this ingredient than unroasted coffee.

From an investor standpoint, there are many coffee companies available as investments. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has recently updated its list of publicly traded companies in the coffee business, several of which pay dividends.

A major wholesaler of green coffee is Coffee Holding Co. (JVA), which also markets private label coffee and branded coffee in the US and Canada. The company has 90 varieties of raw green coffee beans which it imports from around the world and sold to large and small operators. The stock trades at 8.2 times forward earnings and pays a CD-beating dividend yield of 1.3%. Earnings for the latest reported quarter rose by an incredible 51.6% on a 120% increase in revenues. The company has $7.36 million in cash, giving the stock $1.16 in cash per share.

On the retail side, there is Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. (PEET), a specialty coffee roaster, marketer, and retailer founded in 1966 in Berkeley, California. The stock trades at 32 times forward earnings. Revenues for the latest quarter were up 10.9%, but earnings dropped by about 12.2%. The company does not pay a dividend.

Starbucks (SBUX) is the largest coffeehouse retailer in the world, with outlets in 50 countries and over 17,000 shops worldwide. The stock trades at 25.5 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 1.2%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 10.2% on an 16.4% increase in revenues.

The J. M. Smucker Co. (SJM) sells the Folgers brand of coffee, along with spreads, toppings, and beverages. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 15.2 and a very favorable yield of 2.4%. Earnings dropped 11.5% on an 11.8% rise in sales.

For a free list of about 20 coffee stocks, including more than half a dozen that pay dividends, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Use Facebook to Buy Stocks

This article is not about buying Facebook stock, it is about logging into Facebook then using the Facebook platform to build your portfolio by buying stocks. So now you don't need to use Merrill Lynch, Schwab (SCHW), E*Trade (ETFC), or TD Ameritrade (AMTD).

A company called Loyal3 plans to offer its stock trading program through Facebook in May. However, its not your typical brokerage account. First, the minimum investment is only $10. Second, there is no commission to buy. And third, no commission to sell. The trading program is called program a Customer Stock Ownership Plan, or CSOP.

Loyal3 is also planning on offering an IPO CSOP which allow investors to get in on new stock offerings with an investment as small as $200.

One thing that does surprise me is that they even allow the purchase of shares with credit cards. I thought that there was some sort of Federal Reserve Board restriction on that relating to Reg T. Maybe the rules have changed. Anyway, I hope the company gets more non-investors to become shareholders, since less than 20% of Americans own stocks. With a three click easy access through Facebook, that should happen.

For a free list of stocks that own shares of Facebook, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Weekly News for Facebook Stock

The latest weekly news about Facebook stock and the Facebook IPO.

Possible Dates Released for Facebook Stock to Hit Markets

Seeking 'Second' Life After Facebook

How Instagram founder Kevin Systrom became Insta-Rich

Why Facebook bought Instagram

Facebook insiders stay pals

Facebook’s IPO: What We Know Now

27 Ways to Buy Facebook Stock Before It Goes Public



For a free list of stocks that own shares of Facebook, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Warren Buffett Weekly News April 17

The latest news about Warren Buffett, head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B).

Warren Buffett Showed Up at Jimmy Buffett concert

Two Investment Letters that Warren Buffett Always Reads

Buffett Rule Would Reduce Deficit by Less than 4%

Invest Better than Warren Buffett

Buffett's Timeless Rule of Investing

Warren Buffett Secretary Flack

Sex vs Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett Entertaining Videos

For a free list of Warren Buffett stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Last Week of April 2012

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Savanna Energy Services Corp. (SVGYF) ex-div date: 4/26/2012 yield: 4.5% market cap: $420.8M

Wajax Corp (WJXFF) ex-div date: 4/26/2012 yield: 6.7% market cap: $460.9M

Bird Construction Inc (BIRDF) ex-div date: 4/26/2012 yield: 4.8% market cap: $534.7M

DNP Select Income Fund Inc. (DNP) ex-div date: 4/26/2012 yield: 7.2% market cap: $2.6B

Cellcom Israel Ltd. (CEL) ex-div date: 4/30/2012 yield: 16.9% market cap: $1.3B

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Chocolate May Keep You Slim: The News You've Been Waiting For

All right, you like to eat chocolate, make that LOVE to eat chocolate, but you are concerned about your figure. Well, maybe you need not be concerned any more. Fortunately for you, researchers at the University of California at San Diego discovered that people who ate lots of chocolate tended to be slimmer than those who ate less chocolate.

Researchers believe that the results of the study may be due to the fact that chocolate ingredients may favor weight loss more than fat creation. According to the study, which was published in Archives of Internal Medicine, there was a correlation between regular chocolate consumption and lower BMI.

So what companies may benefit from the chocolate craze? Here are a few ideas from WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which has a free list of about a dozen chocolate and candy stocks, most of which pay dividends. Here are some ideas:

Hershey (HSY), largest manufacturer of chocolate in North America
Forward PE ratio 21.9, yield 2.5%.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF), makes and markets chocolate caramels, creams, mints, and truffles
Forward PE ratio 15.6, yield 4.3%.

Nestle (NSRGY.PK), famous chocolate manufacturer
Forward P/E ratio 18.7

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B), Warren Buffett's company, owns See's Candies (obviously a very small portion of its portfolio)
PE ratio 19.1

Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli (LSPN.DE) (COCXF.PK), sells its products under the Lindt, Ghirardelli, and Caffarel brands.
PE ratio 23.2

If you want to see a free list of all the publicly traded chocolate and candy stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list, which includes several companies that pay dividends, can be downloaded, updated, and sorted.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.
By Stockerblog.com

Big Pharma: A High Yield Contrarian Play

If you look at the index of big pharmaceutical stocks and compare it to the Standard and Poor's 500, you will notice that pharma was down almost 2% year-to-date, whereas the S&P 500 was up about 9% from the beginning of the year. Are these companies being ignored? Are concerns about the patent expiration issues being overdone? Although several of these stocks have had risen over the last year or so, contrarians may want to take a closer look at some of them, especially due to the high yields.

The other reason for looking at dividend stocks in the health care sector is the Baby Boomer growth. This is especially true for long term investors. Based on the free list of high yield big pharmaceutical stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are ten pharmaceutical stocks with yields of 4.0% or more, with two stocks paying more than 5%. One example is GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK), the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world by revenues, after Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Pfizer (PFE). Glaxo's products include Aquafresh, Boniva, Dexedrine, Levitra, Nicoderm, Nicorette, Sensodyne, Tums, and Valtrex. The stock pays a generous yield of 5.8% payable quarterly. It trades at 11.6 times forward earnings.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), the world's largest pharma company, is a manufacturer of pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods. The company, which was founded in 1886, yields 3.6% and has a forward price to earnings ratio of 11.7.

Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), another big pharmaceutical, yields 4.2% and trades at 10.2 times forward earnings. This is the company that makes such products as Levitra, Nasonex, Claritin, Clarinex, Coppertone, and Bain de Soleil. They even make Antivenin for the treatment of black widow spider bites.

If you want a list of over a dozen high yield pharma stocks, that can be downloaded and sorted, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owns PFE.
By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of April 2012

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

The Clorox Company (CLX) ex-div date: 4/23/2012 yield: 3.5% market cap: $8.8B

Royal Bank of Canada (RY) ex-div date: 4/23/2012 yield: 3.9% market cap: $83.7B

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc (CLF) ex-div date: 4/25/2012 yield: 3.5% market cap: $10.1B

Boardwalk REIT (BOWFF) ex-div date: 4/26/2012 yield: 3.3% market cap: $2.7B

Bank of Montreal (BMO) ex-div date: 4/27/2012 yield: 4.7% market cap: $38.0B

Hasbro, Inc. (HAS) ex-div date: 4/27/2012 yield: 4.0% market cap: $4.7B

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Warren Buffett Weekly News

The latest news about Warren Buffett, head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B).

Warren Buffett Building Newspaper Empire?

Buffett puts money into Illinois homes

Obama Pitches Buffett Rule to Up Wealthiest Americans' Income Tax

Warren Buffett, Most Hated Man In America, By Millionaires

Don’t Take Home-Buying Advice from Buffett

Warren Buffett Vs Jamie Dimon Who is Right on Banking Reform?

Warren Buffett Dressed as a Paper Boy and Singing

For a free list of Warren Buffett stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

The Chocolate Printer

How would you like to print your own chocolate? Unfortunately, it is a little too late for Easter, but not too late for chocolate lovers. Scientists from the University of Exeter in the UK have perfected a chocolate printer, a machine that would allow you to create your own chocolate candy one layer at a time. This is a type of 3D printer, an industry that is exploding. As a matter of fact, you can even print a car with a three dimensional printer.

Besides the pleasure of eating chocolate, many eat it for the health benefits, such as reducing wrinkles. Warren Buffett likes chocolate companies. His company, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B), owns See's Candies.

If you want to take a bite out of chocolate stocks, WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has a free list of about a dozen chocolate and candy stocks that may be worth feasting on. Most of these stocks pay dividends. Here are a few tasty morsels that may satisfy your portfolio.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF), based in Durango, Colorado, makes and markets caramels, creams, mints, and truffles. The company, founded in 1981, has over 300 franchise locations in 40 states, plus Canada and the United Arab Emirates. The stock trades at 15.6 times forward earnings, and the company pays a mouth-watering yield of 4.3%. For the latest reported quarter, total revenues increased 4.6 percent, however, earnings dropped by 17%, mostly due to increased operating costs related to the Company's Aspen Leaf Yogurt division, an increase in uncollectable accounts reserves, and a drop in the franchise fees.

Hershey (HSY) is the classic name in chocolate, that was founded in 1894. It is the largest manufacturer of chocolate in North America and one of the largest chocolate and candy companies in the world. It is famous for its Hershey's Kisses which were invented in 1901 and the chocolate chips that were brought out in 1928. The stock has forward price to earnings ratio of 21.9, with a scrumptious yield of 2.5%.

Another chocolate company is Nestle (NSRGY.PK), which sports a forward P/E of 18.7. This Swiss chocolate manufacturer was founded in 1867.

If you want to see a free list of all the publicly traded chocolate and candy stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list, which includes several companies that pay dividends, can be downloaded, updated, and sorted.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

More Great Warren Buffett Entertaining Videos

Warren Buffett plays Ukulele and sings for Chinese New Year



Geico Commercial Warren Buffett Plays Axl Rose


You can find a free list of Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Warren Buffett Dressed as a Paper Boy and Singing

Last week, at the Omaha Press Club Show, Warren Buffett, head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) was dressed up as an old fashioned paperboy and sang a song. Here is a video of the Warren Buffett entertainment. It starts after the first 15 second public safety announcement.



You can find a free list of Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of April 2012

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Vale ADR (VALE) ex-div date: 4/16/2012 yield: 5.2% market cap: $72.4B

Comtech Telecomm. Corp. (CMTL) ex-div date: 4/18/2012 yield: 3.3% market cap: $628.1M

Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc (ESD) ex-div date: 4/18/2012 yield: 6.7% market cap: $629.2M

Western Asset High Income Fund II (HIX) ex-div date: 4/18/2012 yield: 9.8% market cap: $854.3M

Western Asset Managed Municipals Fund (MMU) ex-div date: 4/18/2012 yield: 5.8% market cap: $572.7M

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Accounting for Value

For medium term and long term investors, the book Accounting for Value by Stephen Penman may be just the book you are looking for. The book is based on the premise that valuation of stocks is actually a matter of accounting for value.

Penman covers how to evaluate investments, stocks in particular, by using practical accounting tools. The primary goal is to avoid the risk of paying too much. The investor can avoid speculation by accounting for value. The book helps investors grasp the comprehension of accounting in valuation.

For a practical book that will help you understand the use of accounting in understanding stock valuation, Accounting for Value is the resource you are looking for you.

Top Airline Stocks

During the last month, airline stocks have outperformed the Standard & Poor's 500. The Dow Jones U.S. Airlines Index was up 5.5% versus 4.5% for the S&P 500. This in spite of the recent news about pilot and flight attendant meltdowns, which you think might scare off a few passengers.

However, if the economy has hit bottom and is starting to to turn around, it might be worth taking a flier on airline stocks, as they may take off. According to the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are about twenty airline stocks, several of which pay dividends. Not all of them are in great financial shape, and you may have to look outside the United States for the better quality airline companies.

For example, Lan Airlines (LFL) is a Chile based airline that provides passenger and cargo air transportation services. The company has over 120 passenger planes and offers its primary services in Chile, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Ecuador. The stock trades at 20.5 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 2.3%. Revenues for the latest reported quarter were up 19.3%, however, earnings dropped 31.6%.

Domestically, there is the Dallas, Texas based Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV), which operates about 700 aircraft throughout the United States. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 8.2 and even pays a small dividend of 0.2%. Quarterly earnings wer up 16% on a 32% boost in revenues.

For a free list of approximately 20 airline stocks which includes information about the price-to-earnings ratios and yields, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Selling Warren Buffett Books

Warren Buffett, the billionaire head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B), is a top investor, trader, and author. These are the top selling Warren Buffett books, some are written by him and some are about him.

by Buffett

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel (Revised Edition) Warren E. Buffett (Collaborator)

The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for Corporate America Warren E. Buffett (Author)

Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger, Expanded Third Edition Warren E. Buffett (Foreword)

Los ensayos de Warren Buffett (Spanish Edition) Warren E. Buffett (Author)

about Buffett

Trade Like Warren Buffett

The Warren Buffett Way, Second Edition

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

The Winning Investment Habits of Warren Buffett & George Soros

The New Buffettology: The Proven Techniques for Investing Successfully in Changing Markets That Have Made Warren Buffett the World's Most Famous Investor

Warren Buffett Speaks: Wit and Wisdom from the World's Greatest Investor

The Tao of Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett's Words of Wisdom: Quotations and Interpretations to Help Guide You to Billionaire Wealth and Enlightened Business Management

By Stockerblog.com

How to Beat CD Yields and Get Income Monthly

The average one-year yield for a bank certificate of deposit is currently 0.34%. Even if you tie up your funds in a five-year CD, the average yield is still only 1.15%. So what is an income investor to do? One very popular alternative is the closed end bond fund. One of the best features of this type of investment is the fact that many of them pay dividends monthly. Another monthly dividend alternative is the real estate investment trust.

Monthly dividend investments can return your capital faster, and can provide faster compounding. The monthly payments can also reduce volatility. Fortunately, there are over 150 different stocks that pay dividends monthly. Actually, even though these investments are often referred to as stocks, they are technically closed end bond funds, real estate investment trusts, oil income trusts, and closed end income stock funds, which pay dividends every month.

These monthly dividend investments can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which lists almost 200 different companies that pay dividends monthly, over 50 of which have high yields in excess of 7%.

One example is The MFS Multimarket Income Trust (MMT) pays a yield of 7.1%. It invests in fixed in fixed income investments throughout the world. The stock trades at a 0.8% discount to net asset value. The company, which has been around since 1987, has a management fee of 0.82%.

Gas Natural Inc. (EGAS), previously called Energy, Inc., It is a distributor of natural gas in Montana, Wyoming, North Carolina, and Maine. It was founded in 1909. The stock pays a yield of 4.9% and sports a price to earnings ratio of 14.1.

The Advent Claymore Convertible Securities & Income Fund (AVK) sports a yield of 6.6%, sells at about a 11.4% discount to net asset value, and carries a 0.92% management fee. This closed end fund, founded in 2003, invests approximately 60% of its portfolio in convertible securities and 40% in lower-grade non-convertible income securities.

LMP Real Estate Income Fund Inc. (RIT) is a way of investing in real estate and receive monthly income. It is an exchange traded fund that invests in real estate related companies including real estate investment trusts. It carries a yield of 7.9%, and has paid dividends since 2002. It is trading at a 14.9% discount to net asset value. The management fee is 1.2%.

Pengrowth Energy Trust (PGH) is a Canadian oil royalty income trust that yields 7.5%. The company was founded in 1988. The company explores, develops, and produces oil and natural gas reserves in western Canada.

Realty Income Corp. (O), one of the few stocks with a single letter stock ticker symbol, yields 5.1%. This real estate investment trust which specializes in commercial retail real estate, has been around since 1969. The stock trades at 18.2 times forward earnings.

When looking for monthly dividend investments investors should avoid investments with high management fees, limited liquidity, ones that trade at a premium to net asset value, and the ones using excessive leverage. The municipal bond closed end funds may trigger the Alternative Minimum Tax; check with your accountant about this possibility.

A list of over a couple hundred monthly dividend stocks, including many that have yields of 6% or more, is available at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Keep in mind that very high yields may not be sustainable.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of April 2012

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) ex-div date: 4/11/2012 yield: 3.4% market cap: $95.0B

Shaw Communications Inc. (SJR) ex-div date: 4/11/2012 yield: 4.6% market cap: $8.8B

Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc (CNSL) ex-div date: 4/11/2012 yield: 7.9% market cap: $584.3M

SAIC, Inc. (SAI) ex-div date: 4/11/2012 yield: 3.6% market cap: $4.5B

Saul Centers Inc (BFS) ex-div date: 4/12/2012 yield: 3.6% market cap: $775.4M

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (ARR) ex-div date: 4/12/2012 yield: 17.9% market cap: $1.2B

Harsco Corporation (HSC) ex-div date: 4/12/2012 yield: 3.6% market cap: $1.9B

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com