Top Yielding Dividend Aristocrats

 

Dividend Aristocrats are a group of 65 S&P 500 stocks that have increased their dividends annually for at least 25 consecutive years. They are considered to be some of the most reliable dividend-paying stocks on the market.

The Dividend Aristocrats index is maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices. To qualify for the index, a stock must meet the following criteria:

• It must be a member of the S&P 500 index.
• It must have increased its dividend for at least 25 consecutive years.
• It must have a market capitalization of at least $3 billion.

The Dividend Aristocrats index is a popular investment among investors who are looking for income and growth. The stocks in the index have a long track record of dividend growth, and they are typically well-established companies with strong financials.

Here are some of the top Dividend Aristocrats in 2023, ranked by their forward dividend yield:

• Realty Income (O): 5.0%
• IBM (IBM): 5.0%
• AbbVie (ABBV): 4.4%
• Coca-Cola (KO): 3.0%
• Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): 3.0%
• Procter & Gamble (PG): 2.5%
• Pepsico (PEP): 2.7%

These stocks are all paying a high dividend yield, and they have a long track record of dividend growth. They are a good option for investors who are looking for income and growth.

Here are some of the benefits of investing in Dividend Aristocrats:

• Income: Dividend Aristocrats are a good source of income for investors. They typically pay a high dividend yield, and they have a long track record of dividend growth.
• Growth: Dividend Aristocrats can also provide growth potential for investors. Many of the companies in the index are well-established and have strong financials. This means that they are likely to continue to grow their businesses and their dividends over time.
• Safety: Dividend Aristocrats are considered to be relatively safe investments. They are typically large, well-established companies with a long track record of profitability. This means that they are less likely to go bankrupt or cut their dividends than smaller, more volatile companies.

If you are looking for an investment that can provide you with income and growth, then Dividend Aristocrats may be a good option for you. They are a relatively safe investment that has the potential to provide you with a steady stream of income over the long term.

Disclosure: The author owns PEP.

Top 5 Pure Play AI Stocks

 Please note: Our primary website https://WStNN.com is currently down and we hope to have it up shortly. This site has some of the relatively recent articles.

by Fred Fuld III

You’ve seen it on TV, you’ve read about it on news websites. Artificial Intelligence, commonly referred to as AI, is now the hottest industry. Stocks that are involved in this industry are taking off. 

I originally wrote about a form of artificial intelligence back in October of 2021 in an article called The Future of Artificial Intelligence: Can You Invest In It Now?

So you may be wondering what companies are the purest plays.

WHAT AI IS

Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short, refers to the ability of machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem solving, and decision-making. AI algorithms are designed to analyze data, recognize patterns, and make predictions or recommendations based on that analysis.

In other words, AI is a way to teach machines to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, and to improve their performance over time based on the data they analyze. This technology has the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives, from healthcare to transportation to entertainment. AI is even being used to write articles and books. 

WHAT CHAT AI IS

One of the most popular types of AI services is Chat AI. 

Chat AI refers to the use of artificial intelligence technologies, such as natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, to enable machines to communicate with humans via chat interfaces, such as chatbots or virtual assistants.

Chat AI is used in a variety of settings, such as customer service, where chatbots can be used to answer frequently asked questions, provide information, or help customers troubleshoot issues. Chat AI can also be used in healthcare to provide personalized support and advice, in education to assist with learning, and in business to streamline operations and improve customer engagement.

The key advantage of Chat AI is that it enables organizations to provide 24/7 support to their customers, without the need for human intervention. Additionally, Chat AI can help organizations save costs by automating routine tasks and reducing the need for human labor.

To enable effective Chat AI, developers must ensure that the algorithms are capable of understanding and interpreting natural language, as well as providing appropriate responses to user queries. This requires a combination of NLP and machine learning techniques, as well as ongoing training and improvement of the chat AI system.

Overall, Chat AI is an increasingly popular technology that has the potential to transform the way we interact with machines and automate routine tasks in various industries.

CREATING IMAGES WITH AI

Yes, artificial intelligence is now being used to create images, such as book covers, logos, album covers, and many other purposes. You just need to type in a simple description, and a picture will automatically be created. One of the most popular AI image services is called DALL-E.

DALL-E is an artificial intelligence system developed by OpenAI that is capable of generating images from textual descriptions. The name “DALL-E” is a combination of the artist Salvador Dali and the Pixar character Wall-E.

The DALL-E system uses a combination of machine learning techniques, including natural language processing and computer vision, to interpret textual descriptions and generate corresponding images. It is capable of creating images of objects and scenes that do not exist in the real world, such as a teapot made of giraffe or a snail-shaped harp.

THE BIG PLAYERS

The DALL-E system was trained on a dataset of text-image pairs, which enabled it to learn the relationship between textual descriptions and their corresponding visual representations. The system was trained on a massive amount of data, including images from the internet and text descriptions from a variety of sources.

The potential applications of DALL-E are numerous, including in the fields of art, design, and advertising. It has the potential to streamline the creative process and help artists and designers bring their ideas to life more quickly and easily. However, there are also concerns about the potential misuse of this technology, such as the creation of fake images or the propagation of harmful stereotypes.

First, let’s get the large stocks out of the way. There are many companies involved in AI, ranging from startups to large corporations. However, some of the biggest companies involved in AI are:

Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) is known for its search engine, but it’s also heavily invested in AI, with products like Google Assistant, Google Photos, and Google Translate all utilizing machine learning.

Amazon (AMZN) is using AI in many areas, such as its recommendation engine, its Alexa voice assistant, and its Amazon Go stores, which use computer vision to enable a checkout-free shopping experience.

Microsoft (MSFT) has been investing heavily in AI and has developed several AI-powered products, including Cortana, Skype Translator, and Microsoft Cognitive Services.

IBM (IBM) has a long history of developing AI technologies, and its Watson platform is one of the most well-known examples of AI in action.

Meta/Facebook (META) uses AI in a variety of ways, including facial recognition technology for tagging photos and content moderation.

Apple (AAPL) has been incorporating AI into many of its products, including Siri and Face ID.

NVIDIA (NVDA) is a leading manufacturer of GPUs, which are essential for training and running AI models.

Baidu (BIDU) is a Chinese search engine that is heavily investing in AI, with projects ranging from self-driving cars to voice recognition.

Tesla (TSLA) is using AI in its autonomous driving technology and is working to develop a fully self-driving car.

Alibaba (BABA), the Chinese e-commerce company, is investing in AI to improve its recommendation engine and other areas of its business.

THE PURE PLAYS

Now let’s get to the purer plays in artificial intelligence.

C3.AI

C3.ai, Inc. (AI) is a software company, located in Redwood City, California, that provides enterprise AI solutions for a variety of industries, including energy, healthcare, and finance. The company was founded in 2009 by Dr. Thomas M. Siebel, who is also the CEO of the company.

Before founding C3.ai, Dr. Siebel was the founder and CEO of Siebel Systems, a leading enterprise software company that was acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2006. After the acquisition, Dr. Siebel focused on developing AI-based solutions for the enterprise market and founded C3.ai.

Initially, C3.ai focused on developing predictive maintenance and energy management solutions for the energy industry. The company’s first product, C3 Energy Management, was designed to help utilities optimize their energy generation and distribution systems using machine learning algorithms.

Over time, C3.ai expanded its focus to other industries, including healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing. The company’s current product offerings include C3 AI Suite, which is a platform that enables organizations to develop and deploy AI applications, and C3.ai Ex Machina, which is an AI-powered data science platform for data scientists and developers.

C3.ai has received funding from several prominent investors, including Breyer Capital, TPG Growth, and the Rise Fund. In December 2020, the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “AI,” raising $651 million in its initial public offering.

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion. This debt-free company has $6.76 in cash per share.

SOUNDHOUND AI

SoundHound AI, Inc. (SOUN) is a Silicon Valley-based technology company that specializes in developing sound recognition and voice-enabled AI solutions. The company was founded in 2005 by Dr. Keyvan Mohajer, who is also the CEO of the company.

Initially, the company started as a music recognition app called “Midomi,” which allowed users to hum or sing a song, and the app would identify the song. Later on, the company expanded its focus to voice-enabled AI technology and changed its name to SoundHound Inc.

In 2015, SoundHound Inc. launched its flagship product, Hound, which is an AI-powered voice assistant. Hound uses a natural language processing (NLP) technology that enables users to speak complex and specific queries in a conversational manner. The Hound voice assistant is available as a mobile app and can be integrated into other devices and applications.

In addition to Hound, SoundHound AI, Inc. also offers a suite of AI-based products and services, including sound recognition technologies for speech-to-text and music identification, and voice-enabled AI solutions for automotive, hospitality, and other industries.

The company has received funding from several prominent investors, including NVIDIA, Samsung, and Tencent Holdings. By 2021, SoundHound AI, Inc. had raised over $250 million in funding.

SoundHound has a market cap of $580 million. The company is debt-free and quarterly sales increased by over 79% year-over-year.

BIGBEAR.AI

BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. (BBAI) is a technology company that develops and provides artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for defense and intelligence organizations, as well as for commercial customers. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

BigBear.ai’s technology solutions use AI and machine learning to help customers make sense of large and complex data sets, as well as to automate decision-making processes. The company’s AI-driven solutions are designed to improve situational awareness, increase operational efficiency, and support decision-making across a range of industries and applications.

The company’s solutions cover a range of capabilities, including computer vision, natural language processing, and data analytics. BigBear.ai’s solutions are used in a variety of applications, such as intelligence analysis, threat detection, predictive maintenance, and supply chain optimization.

BigBear.ai has a broad customer base that includes government agencies and commercial customers in various industries. The company has received funding from several venture capital firms, including Riverside Partners, Chart National, and Blu Venture Investors.

In 2021, BigBear.ai announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to merge with GigCapital4, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in a deal that valued the combined company at $1.57 billion. The merger was completed in August 2021, and the combined company is now publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “BBAI” as “BigBear.ai”.

This debt-free company has a market cap of $458 million. 

T STAMP

T Stamp Inc. (IDAI) is an identity authentication software company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to develop solutions for government, enterprise partners, and peer-to-peer markets in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Malta.

T Stamp’s AI-powered solutions leverage biometric science, cryptography, and data mining to deliver identity and trust predictions, protect sensitive user information, and extend the reach of digital services through global accessibility. The company’s solutions include converting biometric and other identifying data into an Irreversibly Transformed Identity Token that serves as a secure tokenized identity. T Stamp also offers solutions for privacy and data protection, document validation, identity verification, geolocation, duplicate detection, and biometric capture.

T Stamp’s solutions serve a variety of industries, including banking/fintech, humanitarian and development services, KYC/AML compliance, government and law enforcement, P2P transactions, social media, and sharing economy, and real estate, travel, and healthcare. The company was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Overall, T Stamp’s mission is to provide secure and scalable identity authentication solutions that leverage AI and advanced technologies to protect user privacy and combat identity fraud.

This is a microcap stock with an extremely low market cap of $18 million, and should therefore be considered extremely speculative. 

MARPAI

Marpai, Inc. (MRAI) is a software company that specializes in developing and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) systems for the enterprise market. The company was founded in 2016 by a team of experienced entrepreneurs and AI researchers, including CEO and Co-founder Mark Sears.

Marpai’s platform, called “Cortex,” is designed to help businesses leverage AI to automate processes, extract insights from data, and improve decision-making. Cortex uses advanced machine learning algorithms to analyze large amounts of data and provide actionable insights to users.

The company has received funding from prominent venture capital firms, including Bain Capital Ventures, Crosslink Capital, and SVB Capital, among others. In May 2021, Marpai announced that it had raised $30 million in a Series A funding round led by M12, Microsoft’s venture fund, with participation from other investors.

Marpai has a range of customers across different industries, including finance, healthcare, and retail. The company’s solutions are used for a variety of applications, such as fraud detection, customer service automation, and supply chain optimization.

Overall, Marpai’s mission is to democratize AI and make it more accessible to businesses of all sizes, by providing a scalable and user-friendly platform for deploying AI solutions.

The stock is debt-free and quarterly revenue growth year-over-year was 28.8%. This is another microcap stock with an extremely low market cap of $40 million, and should therefore also be considered extremely speculative.

AI SUMMARY

According to Fortune Business Insights, “The Artificial Intelligence market is projected to grow from $387.45 billion in 2022 to $1394.30 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 20.1%.”

Just remember, that there are many ups and downs in new industries, and all the pure play stocks in this list should be considered speculative. Remember, no recommendations are expressed or implied. 

If you want to learn more about artificial intelligence, you should get the book Artificial Intelligence: What AI Is and How You Can Use It to Make Your Life Easier: A Guide to AI for Beginners, available in both paperback and Kindle.

Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written. Some of these stocks are very low cap and should therefore be considered extremely speculative. This article contains Amazon affiliate links whereby a small commission would be paid on any book sale through those links at no additional cost to you.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend in May 2018

Please note that this is a sister publication of WallStreetNewsNetwork ( http://WStNN.com ) and eventually everything on this site will be transferred over there.

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called ‘Buying Dividends,’ also commonly referred to as ‘Dividend Capture.’ 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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets. 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 in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC)	5/3/2018	0.39
Citigroup Inc. (C)	5/4/2018	0.32
Intel Corporation (INTC)	5/4/2018	0.3
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE)	5/9/2018	0.29
International Business Machines (IBM)	5/9/2018	1.57
GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK)	5/10/2018	0.525
Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM)	5/11/2018	0.82
Target Corporation (TGT)	5/15/2018	0.62
Amgen Inc. (AMGN)	5/16/2018	1.32
Visa Inc. (V)	5/17/2018	0.21
Aflac Incorporated (AFL)	5/22/2018	0.26
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS)	5/30/2018	0.8
Bank of America Corporation (BAC)	5/31/2018	0.12
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT)	5/31/2018	2

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.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 some of the other high yield stock lists at HEREor WStNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

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 at 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.

Top Untaxed Foreign Earnings Stocks

The United States has one of the highest tax rates in the world for corporations. In the past, the U.S. Government might have thought that this was a great source of income for the government, yet the risk of unintended consequences has taken place.

Companies that have earnings in other countries have decided to leave those earnings there in order to avoid the U.S. taxation, creating what is called untaxed foreign earnings. If the money is brought back to the United States, it becomes taxable at 35%. Over one third of the income is a pretty big chunk of money to be removed from the corporate coffers.

So what are the unintended consequences? Companies that are forced to leave their profits overseas due to the oppressive taxation, can’t use that money to hire more Americans, can’t use it to improve machinery and plants, and can’t use it to pay out higher dividends which could benefit income investors and pension plans. It also can’t be used to buy out smaller companies. Basically, it prevents money from flooding the US economy.

The current administration has proposed a 10% tax on repatriated funds, which would be a huge benefit to many corporations, primarily in the areas of technology and health care.

So there may be a play in some of the stocks that are holding huge amounts of money in other countries. For example, Apple (AAPL) holds more money outside the U.S. than any other publicly traded company, somewhere around $200 billion (give or take $25 billion; when you’re talking about that much money, who’s counting).

Other companies with a lot of funds held overseas include:

Alphabet [Google] (GOOG)

Cisco (CSCO)

General Electric (GE)

IBM (IBM)

Intel (INTC)

Microsoft (MSFT)

Oracle (ORCL)

Pfizer (PFE)

It may be a while before the untaxed foreign earnings tax break takes place, but when it does, the benefits to the companies should be swift.

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL and MSFT

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of August

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' 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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

American Electric Power	AEP	8/8/2016	3.2%
IBM Corp	IBM	8/8/2016	3.5%
A. H. Belo Corporation	AHC	8/10/2016	5.8%
Boeing Co.	BA	8/10/2016	3.2%
Collectors Universe	CLCT	8/10/2016	7.0%
Duke Energy	DUK	8/10/2016	4.0%
Spectra Energy	SE	8/10/2016	4.5%
Wal-Mart Stores	WMT	8/10/2016	2.7%

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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

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

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of February

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' 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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

American Electric Power	AEP	2/8/2016	3.85%
IBM Corp	IBM	2/8/2016	4.24%
MDC Holdings	MDC	2/8/2016	4.68%
Parker Hannifin Corp.	PH	2/8/2016	2.75%
Tessco Technologies, Inc.	TESS	2/8/2016	4.60%
Berkshire Hills Bancorp	BHLB	2/9/2016	3.01%
S&T Bancorp	STBA	2/9/2016	2.87%
U.S. Steel	X	2/9/2016	2.57%
A. H. Belo Corporation	AHC	2/10/2016	5.61%
Antero Midstream Partners LP	AM	2/10/2016	4.63%
American Software	AMSWA	2/10/2016	4.26%
Artisan Partners Asset Mgt	APAM	2/10/2016	7.73%
Boeing Co.	BA	2/10/2016	3.41%

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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

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's 5 Largest Stock Holdings

Want to be a successful investor? Then maybe you should follow in the footsteps of the top successful investor and billionaire, Warren Buffett. Top money managers come and go but Buffett and his company, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) have stood the test of time. That's how he became the richest, second richest, and third richest man in the world, depending on what day it is. (He takes turns with Bill Gates and Carlos Slim.)

So there are a couple ways of doing what Buffett does.

1. You can buy Berkshire stock, if you want to pay $193,600 per share.

2. You can buy the B Shares of Berkshire (BRK-B) which are trading around $129 per share.

3. You can look at Buffett's holdings and pick and choose what you think are his best holdings.

4. Or last but not least, and the easiest way, instead of second guessing Warren, is to just invest in his five largest holdings.

So what are the 'big five'?

Wells Fargo (WFC)
Berkshire owns $23 billion of this stock

Coca Cola (KO)
$15.4 billion ownership or 14.6% of the company's outstanding shares

American Express (AXP)
$13.6 billion ownership or 12.9%

IBM (IBM)
$13 billion ownership or 12.1%

Wal-Mart (WMT)
$4.4 billion ownership or 4.2%

Now you know how to invest like a billionaire.

To see more of Warren Buffett's stockholdings, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owns KO.

By Stockerblog.com

A Smart Investment Strategy: Invest Like Warren Buffet

Known as the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet is the platinum standard by which investors only hope to measure themselves against. His knowledge of investing and the stock market has amazed those who have watched him make money no matter what the economy is like. His holding company of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) has what is known as the most valuable stock ever traded on the New York Stock Exchange and investors everywhere clamor to any news of his buying or selling of stock.

His portfolio is always public and if one were to examine it, you would see that his stocks are a reflection of his core attitude towards America and its values. He has always stated that America is still the best place in the world for a baby to be born and he has always tried to invest in the American companies that best demonstrate integrity, solid fundamentals, and a defensive strategy against the pitfalls of the economy. He likens his strategy to that of a castle with a wide moat as defense. The companies that have an impervious defense and a strong history of dividends can be found in Berkshire Hathaway. According to the database of Berkshire Hathaway stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, over 75% of the Warren Buffett companies pay dividends.

Although most of the companies in his portfolio are US based, they have a strong international presence, companies such as International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) which trades at 14 times earnings and yields 1.8%, and American Express (AXP), which trades at 19 times earnings and pays a dividend rate of 1.2%.

People often wonder how his investing strategy works and how he manages to make so much money. It’s pretty simple actually and he even tells you what he does. When everyone is selling, he buys, and when everyone is buying, he sells. It’s always been said that in order to make money in the stock market you buy low and sell high. In examining Warren Buffet’s strategy, he does exactly this. The fact that many people do not follow his investing advice is why his simple method seems so mysterious. Maybe Wall Street investors should actually take note of his advice and spend less time trying to make a quick dollar from trading and spend more time investing in a long term based ideology.

For a free list of stocks that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway owns, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

Stock Dividend Increasers for Early May

The following stocks have recently increased their dividends. This is the sign of a good company and could be the sign of an improving economy.

American Water Works Company (AWK) announced an increase of its quarterly cash dividend payment from $0.25 to $0.28 per share, a 12 percent increase.

Costco (COST) raised its dividend by 12.70% to 31 cents per share.

IBM (IBM) raised its quarterly dividend by 11.8% to 95 cents per share.

PepsiCo (PEP) raised quarterly distributions by 5.6% to 56.75 cents per share.

Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS-A) raised its quarterly dividend by 4.7% to 90 cents per share.

Jack Henry & Associates (JKHY) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, a 54% increase over the prior payout of $0.13 per share.

ExxonMobil (XOM) recently declared a 10.5% dividend increase.

Chevron (CVX) declared an 11% dividend increase.

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

Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett Cuts Back on Consumer Goods Stocks

Warren Buffett, head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) (BRKB), has cut back on a few consumer goods stocks. According to recent filings, Buffett has reduced holdings in Procter & Gamble (PG) and Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (KRFT). In addition, although not a true consumer goods company, Berkshire Hathaway lightened up on Johnson and Johnson (JNJ).

Buffett is still maintaining his current positions in dozens of other stocks. As a matter of fact, he owns over 35 stocks, according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, over 25 of which are dividend paying stocks.

One of his holdings is General Dynamics (GD), the aerospace and defense company, which trades at 9.5 times trailing earnings and 8.7 times forward earnings. The stock pays quarterly and yields 3.3%. Earlier this year, the company raised its dividend by 8.5%. Earnings for the latest quarter were down 8% on a 1% rise in revenues.

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is another stock owned by Buffett. The stock trades at 13.8 times trailing earnings and 11.4 times forward earnings, with a yield of 1.8%. Earnings were flat for the latest quarter on a 5.4% drop in sales. It pays a decent yield of 1.8%.

Other holdings include Torchmark Corp (TMK), the insurance company, that trades at 10 times earnings and yields 1.2%, US Bancorp (USB) yielding 2.5%, and Wal Mart Stores Inc (WMT), which pays a yield of 2.3%.

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

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

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Owned by Both Warren Buffett and George Soros

The two top investors are Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK-A) (BRK-B) Warren Buffett and George Soros. Both of these billionaires have been investing in stocks for years, with very successful track records. Soros has reportedly returned 20% per year for his investors and Buffett's Berkshire averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% for the last 44 years. According to the latest list of Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are two stock that they agree on. As a matter of fact, they have been copying each other.

Soros is copying Buffett by recently buying one of Berkshire's holdings, Sanofi Aventis ADR (SNY), the Paris, France based health care company which produces prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, generics, vaccines, and animal health products. The stock trades at 8 times forward earnings and pays a decent yield of 3.8%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 26.2% on a revenue increase of 11.1%.

Buffett has done the same thing. Soros has owned IBM (IBM) for a while and Buffett decided last quarter to jump on the bandwagon and buy some. IBM has a forward price to earnings ratio of 13 and provides a dividend of 1.6%. Quarterly earnings rose by 7% on a 7.1% rise in revenues.

For a free list of stocks that Warren Buffett owns, 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

Warren Buffett Invested $10.7 Billion in IBM

Warren Buffett just announced that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) has purchased 64 million shares of International Business Machines (IBM) for a total of $10.7 billion. Buffett started buying in March and now owns 5.5 percent of IBM.

IBM trades at 15 times current earnings and 13 times forward earnings. The dividend, which was raised by15% in May, provides a decent yield of 1.2%. For the latest quarter ending September 30, earnings rose by 7% on a 7.8% growth in revenues. Two research firms initiated coverage on IBM on October 14. Macquarie gave the company a Buy rating and ISI Group gave it a Hold.

In the past, Buffett has shied away from tech stocks although he has owned a couple companies involved in technology in some way, according to the free list of Warren Buffett stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. For example, Berkshire Hathaway has owned Ingersoll-Rand Plc (IR), which makes temperature control products, electronic locks, portable security systems, remote home management products, and electronic and biometric access control systems and software. The stock has a current price to earnings ratio of 35 and a forward PE of 10. In June, the company raised its dividend by an amazing 71%, from 7 cents a quarter to 12 cents a quarter, giving a current yield of 1.5%.

Berkshire also owns Verisk Analytics, Inc. (VRSK), a provider of proprietary data, analytics methods, and embedded decision support solutions, It trades at 24 times current earnings and 20 times forward earnings, nd dos not pay a dividend.

To see other stocks owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com for a free list that can be downloaded and sorted.

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

Top Yielding Diversified Computer Systems Stocks

So what are the Diversified Computer Systems companies? These are the big players, like Teradata Corporation (TDC). These are the companies that are involved in everything from hardware to software to consulting to clouds.

On example is Hewlett-Packard, which announced yesterday that it has decided its personal computer business. The stock trades at 6.5 times current earnings and six times forward earnings with a favorable price to earnings growth ratio of 0.71. The yield on the stock beats any bank account, paying 1.9%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 8.6% on a revenue increase of 1.5%.

Another dividend payer in this category is Big Blue, or more officially known as International Business Machines Corp. (IBM). The company has a price to earnings ratio of 14, a forward PE of 12, with a PEG ratio of 1.12. The stock offers a yield of 1.6%. Earnings for the latest quarter ending September 30 grew by 7% with similar growth in revenues.

To see a list of all the diversified computer systems stocks, check out the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Get a 6% Yield from IBM

Let's say you are an income investor who wants to diversify into technology. You like International Business Machines (IBM) but the stock only yields 1.8%. So what's an income investor to do? Look into CorTS, which are Corporate-Backed Trust Securities. These are basically investments backed by bonds or debentures or other corporate income securities. Fortunately, there is one for IBM called Structured Products CorTS V IBM Debentures 6.40% Certificates (HZD).

The stock currently trades at a slight premium to its par value of $25, and yields 6.1%, paying 80 cents per share semi-annually. The certificates are callable beginning 9/29/2011 at par. So if you are considering buying this stock, keep in mind the call risk. The maturity date is 12/01/2096.

If you like these high yield stocks, you should take a look at How to Get a 6% Yield from Chesapeake Energy (CHK), How to Get a 4.9% Yield from Goldman Sachs (GS), and Lucent (ALU) Pays a Yield of 13%.

A list of about 20 adjustable rate preferreds, with yields ranging from 1.83% to 8.59%, is available at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list includes the minimum yield, the floating rate calculation, the par value, annual income and yield.

Disclosure: Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com

Highest Yielding Top Rated Stocks (there are only two)

With the flack the credit rating agencies received during the recent financial collapse, it is interesting to see what their current ratings reveal.

If you look at some of the major firms that rate stocks, and you look to see what stocks meet their highest ratings, you can get a good idea of what the major consensus is for which stocks are considered quality investments.

Standard & Poor's highest rating is five stars. S&P is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (MHP). The highest ratings for First Call Consensus are Buy and Strong Buy, the same with Jaywalk Consensus. The highest for Market Edge is Long, and for Jim Cramer 's TheStreet.com (TSCM), the top rating is Buy. If you look to see which stocks meet this criteria, and yield over 1%, you would come up with only two stocks. Here they are:

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) 2.1%

McKesson Corporation (MCK) 1.1%

If you want to see other high yield stocks, such as high yield electric utilities and stocks that pay dividends monthly, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author doesn't own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Stocks of New York

New York is synonym of city, innovation, communication and finance, but New York is also a manufacturing and agricultural state. New York produces dairy products, cattle, vegetables and more. The state produces and exports minerals, automobile parts, computers and electronics, and chemical products.

Some interesting facts about New York follow:

1. New York City is the most populous city in the United States.
2. Adirondack Park, in the state of New York is the largest state park in the country.
3. New York City is the largest banking and finance center in the nation.
4. The state is the second largest producer of wine.
5. New York workers are the 37th best paid in the country.
6. New York City is the largest city economy in the United States and second in the world (after Tokyo).
7. New York State per capita personal income is $48,076.
8. The state’s main tourist destinations are: The Statue of Liberty, Niagara Falls, and New York City.
9. New York’s milk production makes 50% of all agricultural cash receipts.
10. New York exported goods valued at over $57 billion during 2009, making it the third largest exporter state in the country.

The following companies are headquartered in the state of New York:

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) is a worldwide known financial company. It offers investment services, commercial banking, asset management services, and retail financial services to individuals and businesses. The stock has a market cap of $182 billion, a PE of 15, a PEG OF 1.89, and it pays a yield of 0.4%.

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is a producer of information technology products. The stock has a market cap of $165.8 billion, a PE of 12, a PEG of 0.85 and it pays a yield of 1.7%.

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) is in the business of researching, discovering and producing new drugs for use in the prescription medicine industry. This biopharmaceutical company markets its products worldwide. The stock has a market cap of $138.3 billion, a PE of 7.9, PEG of 3.76 and it pays a yield of 4.2%.

Citigroup Inc. (C) is a financial institution that provides consumers with banking services, credit cards, investments and other services. Citigroup operates worldwide. Its clients include individual consumers, businesses, and government. The stock has a market cap of $127.7 billion, and a PE of 89.

PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) operates worldwide manufacturing and selling snacks, other foods and drinks. Some of its products are sold under the following names: Lays, Doritos, and Cheetos, Quaker, Rice-A-Roni, Aunt Jemina, Pepsi, Gatorade and 7-up among many others. The stock has a market cap of $109 billion, a PE of 16, a PEG of 1.58, and it pays a yield of 2.7%.

Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) produces and sells tobacco products and cigarettes to markets in the Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada and Latin America. The stock has a market cap of $98.8 billion, a PE of 14, a PEG of 1.37, and it pays a yield of 4.4%.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) is an investment banking institution that serves wealthy individuals, corporations and governments across the globe. The stock has a market cap of $94.6 billion, a PE of 10, a PEG of 0.97, and it pays a yield of 0.78%.

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is a telephone company providing wireless and wired telephone and Internet services in the United States and abroad. The stock has a market cap of $85.7 billion, a PE of 13, a PEG of 4, and it pays a yield of 6.3%.

American Express Co. (AXP) is a credit card and charge card company. It also offers travel services, travelers’ checks and prepaid cards worldwide. The stock has a market cap of $52.1 billion, a PE of 16, a PEG of 1.6, and it pays a yield of 1.7%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) is in the business of researching, discovering, creating and selling new drugs worldwide. Some of the medicines the company produces are used to treat psychiatric disorders, diabetes, hepatitis, HIV and other diseases. The stock has a market cap of $45 billion, a PE of 12, a PEG of 14.1, and it pays a yield of 4.9%.

For stocks from other states, check out Minnesota stocks, Oregon stocks, and Florida stocks.

Author owns VZ and PFE.
By Stockerblog.com

Review of the MacWorld Expo

Last week, the annual MacWorld Expo was held at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Everything I read prior to attending the Expo made it sound like a letdown, and in some ways it was, primarily due to the fact that Apple (AAPL) was not participating. The exhibit hall seemed less than half the size of previous shows.

I'm not just talking about the lack of freebie giveaways. Last year I got an iPhone cover which retails for $25 and an H&R Block (HRB) tax preparation software CD which retails for about $30, both as free giveaways, and much, much more. This year, I was lucky to get a couple pens. (By the way, H&R Block didn't return this year.)

What i am referring to is the reduction in the variety of exhibitors (less than 250), and the number or attendees. Even the overall energy level seemed to have dropped over previous years.

But the exhibitors that were there still tried their best. One of the major vendors was IBM (IBM) surprisingly. But maybe not so surprising, as Apple is moving more into the business world. Other large firms exhibiting include American Express (AXP) , Cisco (CSCO), Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ), Microsoft (MSFT), Motorola (MOT), VMware, Inc. (VMW), Western Digital Corp. (WDC), John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW-A), and Xerox (XRX).

The New York Times Company (NYT) was there also, trying to push trial newspaper subscriptions. Talk about old technology. I really like The New York Times online, I just don't believe in printed newspapers any more.

The area with the most activity was the apps section, which took up a small footprint of the total floor but was very crowded with visitors looking for the latest and greatest applications for their iPhones. The one that impressed me the most was the Business Card Reader. This great app allows you to take a picture of a business card with your iPhone 3G and it immediately imports the contact information into the appropriate fields of your iPhone address book. It even recognizes French, German, and Spanish. The app currently is on sale for only $4.99 as part of the MacWorld Expo special. It is designed for the iPhone 3G or older models with a macro lens attachment.

iPhone and iPod accessories seemed to be the overall de facto theme of the Expo as there were dozens and dozens of accessory vendors, selling everything from recharging battery packs, iPhone covers, skins, and earphones.

I still enjoyed the Expo, and the smaller size did have its advantages. I was able to check out every exhibitor at least once or twice within just a couple hours.

Author owns AAPL, MSFT.

By Stockerblog.com

Does CEO Age Have an Effect on Stock Performance?

There may be an interesting correlation that warrants further study, the inverse relationship between the age of the CEO and the performance of the stock price. If you look at some of the major technology stocks, you will find that the higher the performance, the lower the age of the CEO. As a matter of fact, for tech stocks that have had returns of 55% or greater year-to-date, the average CEO age is 50. For stocks with lower returns, 55 is the average age.

As an example, Amazon's (AMZN) CEO, Jeff Bezos, is only 45 and his stock is up 147%. eBay's (EBAY) new CEO, John J. Donahoe, is 49 (according to Wikipedia), and the stock is up 55%. Yet if you examine IBM's (IBM) Sam Palmisano, who is 57, the stock is up a lot but doesn't beat the 55% threshold, returning only 51%. And Carol A. Bartz, who at age 60 is the CEO of Yahoo (YHOO), had a return of only 22%.

The following chart compares the CEO ages of Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), eBay (EBAY), IBM (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT), Hewlett Packard (HPQ), and Yahoo (YHOO).


If you like interesting correlations, check out the article on the Revenues per Employee Ratio.

Author owns AMZN, AAPL, EBAY, MSFT, and YHOO.

By Stockerblog.com