Like Dividend Stocks? Buy the Aristocrats

Many investors prefer dividends. Yet, just because a stock pays a dividend does not make it a good stock. But if a company has been raising dividends, and raising them on a consistent basis, it probably means that the company has been doing something right.

A Dividend Aristocrat takes this concept to the extreme. It is a stock that has increased its dividend every year for at least the last 25 years.

The stock that is the leader of the pact is American States Water (AWR). It has raised its dividend annually for the last 60 years! (Side note: Although I am not currently invested in this one, I have invested in several water utility companies over the years, and have never lost money on any of them.)

At 2.1%, the yield doesn't sound that high, but compared to a bank savings account, a certificate of deposit, or a money market fund, the yield is great. The company serves customers in ten counties in California.

Other well-known companies that fall into this elite category are the following:
Proctor & Gamble (PG) 58 years
Coca-Cola (KO) 52 years
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 52 years
Lowe's (LOW) 52 years
Colgate Palmolive (CL) 51 years
Tootsie Roll (TR) 49 years
Target (TGT) 47 years
PepsiCo (PEP) 42 years

If you had bought any of these stocks ten or twenty or 30 years ago, and reinvested the dividends, your yield based on your original investment would be enormous.

If you like interesting stock lists like this, check out many of the free stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owned Coca-Cola at the time this article was written.

by Stockerblog.com

This Flashlight Runs on Water: Time for Water Stocks?

Would you believe that there is a flashlight that doesn't need batteries installed? As a matter of fact, this flashlight runs only on water. It is called the Eton BlackoutBuddy H20 The Always-Ready Water-Activated Emergency Light and it can stay lit for 72 hours straight, just by dipping it in a small cup of water. It can be stored for ten years and can even be used underwater. It is even environmentally conscious, as it does not contain mercury, hexavalent chromium, cadmium, or lead. The product is expected to be released shortly.


So if we have water powering our flashlights, will water soon be powering our cars? How about our homes? How about investing in water? Obviously, water is a very valuable commodity. We need it to drink, to wash, to grow our crops, to use in industrial applications, and numerous other uses. And the source of water for consumer and commercial use either comes from government water districts, private companies, or several publicly traded water utility stocks.

One example is Connecticut Water Service (CTWS) which serves over 120,000 customers in Connecticut and Maine. The stock trades at 17 times both trailing and forward earnings. For the latest quarter, earnings spiked by a huge 73.8% on a 12.9% revenue rise. The company, which is over half a century old, pays a healthy 3.1% yield.

Another example is The York Water Company (YORW), which has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 26 and a forward PE of 22. Earnings were up 17.7% for the latest quarter year-over-year on an increase of 9.6% in sales. The company is an old one, founded in 1816, and serves numerous municipalities in Pennsylvania. The stock pays a decent yield of 3.0%.

Several other water utilities are available to investors, such as American Water Works (AWK) which yields 2.6% and American States Water (AWR) paying 2.8%. The list of water utility stocks can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated. Why not dip your toe into one of these companies. It may clench the thirst of your portfolio.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time of publication and has no plans to do so in the next 72 hours.

By Stockerblog.com

Some Californians May See Their Water Bills Triple: High Yield Water Utility Stocks

Because of the shortage of water in the state of California, almost two dozen water utilities in the state have implemented strict water rates, which may cause consumers to incur a water bill that could be two or three times normal. The use of water “budgeting” continues to increase by water utilities, where tiers are set based on the number of people in the family and other factors. There are a few publicly traded water utilities in California and several others throughout the United States, based on the list of high yield water utility stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

One example is American States Water (AWR), founded in 1929, which is a distributor of water in 75 communities in California. It trades at 19 times both trailing and forward earnings and pays a CD beating yield of 2.8%.

Aqua America (WTR), which distributes water to customers in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Maine, and Georgia. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 20.2, a forward price to earnings ratio of 19.6, and yields 2.4%. The company has boosted  its dividend every year since 1988 and has had several stock splits during the last several years. 

Connecticut Water Service (CTWS) trades at 19 times current earnings and 18 times forward earnings. The company provides a yield of 3.1%. The company, which was founded in 1956, serves customers in over 50 towns in Connecticut.

For a free list of high yield water utility stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and added to, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

Fish that Breath Air - How About People Without Water? Top Water Utilities

Did you know that there is a species of fish that can breath air? I'm not talking about mammals that live in the water, like dolphins and whales, I'm talking about real fish. According to the National Geographic, there is a newly discovered species of freshwater fish called the Arapaima leptosoma, which can be found in Brazil and Guyana. The fish can grow to a length of ten feet.

Unfortunately, there are no humans that can survive without water. They need water to drink, to prepare food, to grow food, to provide to animals which eventually become food for the humans, to water their lawn, to wash their car, to brush their teeth, to shower in, etc. You get the idea. We can't live without water.

So who provides us with this water? There are many government run municipal water utilities across the United States. But there are also over a dozen publicly traded water utility companies which provide water to residential and business customers, that are available to investors, based on the list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Most of these companies pay dividends.

For example, Middlesex Water Company (MSEX) is one of the higher yielding water utility stocks, paying 3.6%. The company distributes water to customers in parts of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. The stock trades at 20.5 times trailing earnings and 20.8 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest reported quarter ending June 30 were up an amazing 20.3%, on a 6.2% rise in revenues. Not bad for a utility stock. The company's next earnings report will be October 21. By the way, dividends have increased every year for this company since 2004.

Another dividend paying water utility stock is American States Water Company (AWR), which distributes water in 10 counties in the State of California. The stock trades at 18 times trailing earnings and 19.3  times forward earnings. The yield is a fairly decent 3.0%.

The York Water Company (YORW), which is based in York, Pennsylvania, yields 2.8%. The price earnings ratio is 27.6 and the forward P/E ratio is 23.

To see a list of all the water utility stocks that pay dividends, which includes the P/E, the forward P/E, the PEG, and the yield, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

High Yield H2O Stocks

How many uses of water are there? Let me count the ways.
drinking
agricultural irrigation
washing
as a solvent
as a reactant
as a coolant
for heating
a neutron moderator
fire extinguishing fluid
food processing
cooking
etc., etc., etc.

Many investors have taken a flight to income stocks, blue chips, electric utilities, and natural gas utilities. But many forget the publicly traded monopolies of water utilities, which can provide income and growth potential. The majority of cities are served by government water districts; yet residents of some communities buy water through corporations that own the rights to water and are publicly traded. People don't stop drinking and using water, so there is little chance of these companies going out of business.

There are many dividend paying water companies that investors have available to them according to the free list of high yield water utility stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

One example is Aqua America (WTR), which distributes water to customers in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Maine, and Georgia. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 22, a forward price to earnings ratio of 21, and yields 2.2%. The company has raised its dividends every year since 1988 and has had many stock splits during that time. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an incredible 95.7% on an 12.4% increase in revenues.

American States Water (AWR), founded in 1929, which is a distributor of water in 75 communities in California. It trades at 20 times forward earnings and pays a reasonable yield of 2.5%. During the summer, the company's dividends is up by 5% over last year. Earnings for the latest quarter were up outstanding, by 53.4%, with revenues rising 17%.

Connecticut Water Service (CTWS) trades at 18 times forward earnings and yields 3.1%. The company, which was founded in 1956, serves customers in 55 towns in Connecticut. The company raised its dividend by 2% last August.

For a free list of high yield water utility stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and added to, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

Water Stocks are Floating on Profits and Dividends

Investors who are looking for growth along with income need look no further than water utilities. Although most communities are served by governmental water district entities, residents of some communities buy water through companies that own water rights and are publicly traded. The nicest feature about these companies is that they are semi-recession-proof in that people don't stop using water. And when the economy turns around and new homes are built and businesses grow, water consumption increases.
Fortunately, there are several of these companies that investors can choose from according to the free list of high yield water utility stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.
One example is American States Water (AWR), founded in 1929, which is a distributor of water in 75 communities in California. It trades at 17.7 times forward earnings and pays a decent yield of 3.0%. During the summer, the company raised its dividends by a substantial 26.7%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up significantly, by 19.6%, with revenues rising 11.5%.
Aqua America (WTR) distributes water to customers in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Maine, and Georgia. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 21.0, and yields 2.8%. The company has raised its dividends every year since 1988 and has had many stock splits during that time. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an amazing 23.2% on an 12.3% increase in revenues.
Connecticut Water Service (CTWS) trades at 20.4 times forward earnings and yields 3.3%. Earnings were up an incredible 60% on a significant 18.6% boost in revenues. The company, which was founded in 1956, serves customers in 55 towns in Connecticut. The company raised its dividend by 2% in August.
For a free list of high yield water utility stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.
Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.
By Stockerblog.com

Would You Pay to Buy Tap Water on the Streets of New York?

Here's an innovative start-up business idea. Sell tap water on the streets of New York City. Of course the company providing this innovative product, the Molecule Project, dispenses the water through a very high quality filtering machine. Will this company give the water utilities a run for their money? Probably not, as these utilities have been doing very well, with many increasing their dividends over the last few months.

According to the free list of high yield water utility stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, American States Water (AWR), which was founded in 1929, distributes water in 75 communities in California. It trades at 17.7 times forward earnings and pays a decent yield of 3.2%. In August, the company boosted its dividends by an incredible 26.7%. Earnings for the latest quarter were down 5.5%, but revenues were up 4.1%.

Aqua America (WTR) distributes water to customers in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Maine, and Georgia. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 20.9, and yields 2.7%. The company has raised its dividends every year since 1988 and has numerous stock splits during that time. Earnings for the latest quarter were up over 10% on an 11% increase in revenues.

Connecticut Water Service (CTWS) trades at 24 times earnings and yields 3.1%. Earnings were up a substantial 20% on a significant 23% boost in revenues. The company, which was founded in 1956, serves customers in 55 towns in Connecticut. The company recently raised its dividend by 2% in August.

For a free list of high yield water utility stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Water Utility Dividends Rising Like Geysers

The water utility dividends are on a tear. American States Water (AWR) boosted its dividend by 27%. Aqua America (WTR) is raising its dividend by 6.1%. And Connecticut Water Service (CTWS) bumped up its dividend by 2.1%, the 43rd consecutive annual dividend for the company. Let's take a closer look at these companies.

According to the free list of high yield water utility stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, American States Water trades at 18 times earnings and yields 3.2%. Earnings for the latest quarter were down 5.5%, but revenues were up 4.1%. The company, which was founded in 1929, distributes water in 75 communities in California.

Aqua America distributes water to customers in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Maine, and Georgia. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 23, and yields 2.6%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up over 10% on an 11% increase in revenues.

Connecticut Water Service trades at 24 times earnings and yields 3.1%. Earnings were up an amazing 20% on a 23% boost in revenues.

For a free list of high yield water utility stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

What Two Stocks Have Had Dividend Increases for Over 55 Years?

What better indication of corporate strength than long term increasing dividends. There are actually about a hundred publicly traded companies with a track record of increasing dividends for 25 years or more. But when looking back beyond 55 years, only two make the cut and both have yields in excess of 3.2%.

The first company, which has increased dividends for 58 years in a row, is in the fast growing business of integrated self-service delivery and security systems. The company, Diebold, Incorporated (DBD), makes everything from automated teller machines to safes to digital surveillance to biometric technologies. The stock trades at 13.6 time forward earnings and pays a decent yield of 3.6%.

Earnings were down significantly for the latest quarter year-over-year on a one percent drop in revenues, primarily due to higher taxes and losses in Europe. “As expected, we got off to a slow start in the first quarter. The results we’re reporting today slightly exceeded our internal expectations for the first quarter, despite heavy losses in Europe and a higher tax rate. We previously communicated we expect an unusually strong second half of 2011, and our outlook remains the same,” said Thomas W. Swidarski, Diebold president and chief executive officer.

Total dividend payout for Diebold is $73.1 million, which is well covered by the operating cash flow of $239.4 million. The dividend payout rate was raised in February from 27 cents a share to 28 cents share, an increase of 3.7%.

The other long term dividend increaser is American States Water Company (AWR), which has boosted its dividend 57 years in a row. This stock, which is one of the companies on the High Yield Water Utility Stock list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, trades at 15.6 times forward earnings and yields 3.3%.

The total dividend payout is $20.9 million, easily covered by $54.7 million in operating cash flow. Earnings for the latest quarter were down 10.6% on a 6.6% increase in revenues.

If you like high yield stocks, there are plenty of top yielding stock lists, most of which are free, at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Most of Canada's Bottled Water has Bacteria: Time to Buy Water Utilities

According to C-CREST Laboratories, 70 percent of bottled water in Canada were found to have excessive amounts of bacteria, above the recommended norms specified by US Pharmacopeia. No word yet on US water, but maybe it is time to start drinking tap water.

Yes, water companies have issues, such as maintaining supply and dealing with regulatory agencies. Buyt they also have plenty of advantages, es[ecially dividends.

Water utilities provide favorable yields between 2% and 5%. Maybe they aren't as high as electric utilities or gas utilities, but there are about a dozen water utility stocks with dividends that were turned up by WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Here are a couple examples.

American States Water Company (AWR) is a $600 million market cap utility which produces, purchases and distributes water in both California and Arizona. The company pays a yield of 3.1% and have a forward PE of 15.5.

SJW Corp. (SJW) is a San Jose, California water utility with a market cap of over $400 million. It yields 2.8% and has a forward PE of 21%

The York Water Company (YORW), based in Pennsylvania, pays a yield of 3.9% and has a forward PE of 18.2.

To see a list of the rest of the top yielding water stocks, including four that yield more than 4%, which you can download, add to, change, and sort, check out WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com