More Companies Raising their Dividends

A great New Year's start is news that your stock is raising its dividend. Here is a selection of stocks that recently bumped up dividend payouts.

Enterprise Bancorp (EBTC) declared a 4.5% dividend increase

Pizza Pizza Royalty Corp. (PZA.TO) announced a 4.2% increase in its monthly dividend

Black Rock (BLK) raised its quarterly dividend 12%

Core Laboratories (CLB) raised its quarterly dividend 14.2%

Family Dollar (FDO) boosted its quarterly dividend 24%

Finish Line (FINL) raised its quarterly dividend by 17%

Kinder Morgan (KMI) bumped up its quarterly dividend 19%

Oneok Partners (OKE) raised its quarterly dividend 9%

Packing Corporation of America (PKG) had a 25% in dividend payout

Wisconsin Energy (WEC) spiked its quarterly dividend by 13%

Corus Entertainment (CJR-B.TO) announced a 6.25% dividend increase

If you like stock lists like this, such as a list of stocks going ex-dividend, beer stocks, candy stocks, or coffee stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Where to Invest When the Market Crashes

Some investors believe that low priced stocks are the best ones to invest in during a market crash because they can have the biggest percentage upside when the market recovers. Other investors think that sticking with the large caps is the way to go in case market bottom is missed by investing too soon, the loss won't be as bad. And yet others think you should just stay out of the market until we are absolutely, positively in a bull market, in order to avoid any further loss.

My opinion? Buy income stocks that pay decent dividends with a great payout history; companies such as Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Target Corp. (TGT). If the market keeps dropping, at least you will still be receiving income, getting your capital returned to you. If you are lucky and you have picked the exact bottom, your stocks will go up and you will still receive income. If the market stays flat, you will still receive income. It's a win, win, win situation.

Now you just have to narrow down your investment choices to the ones with a solid dividend track record. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over 20 stocks that have increased their dividends for over 30 years in a row. An example would be Abbott Laboratories (ABT), which has increased its dividend 38 years in a row. The stock trades at 9.6 times forward earnings. Speaking of earnings, the company reported a 50.4% increase in quarterly earnings year-over-year on a 9% increase in revenues. The company is currently generating a payout rate of 3.8%.

PepsiCo Inc (PEP) has had a similar dividend increase history. The company boosted its earnings by 17.6% for the latest quarter, with a 13.7% rise in sales. The stock trades at 13 times forward earnings, and yields 3.2%.

Want more ideas? Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) has increased dividends 36 years in a row, Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) 35 years, and Family Dollar Stores (FDO) 34 years. For a free list of over 20 stocks that have bumped up their dividends for more than 30 years in a row, including a couple that have increased over 50 years in a row, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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