Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of February

  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, 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.

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Archer Daniels Midland Co.	ADM	2/18	2.4%
Autoliv Inc.	ALV	2/18	2.4%
Ares Dynamic Credit Allocat	ARDC	2/18	7.6%
Energizer Holdings	ENR	2/18	2.0%
LTC Properties	LTC	2/18	4.7%

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Maxim Integrated Products	MXIM	2/18	3.5%
Nordic American Tankers	NAT	2/18	4.3%
Resources Connection Inc	RECN	2/18	2.0%

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.

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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 Recent Stock Purchases

Warren Buffett, head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) and one of the top four richest people in the world, is considered one of the top investors of all time. In January of 1990, Berkshire Hathaway was trading for 7455 a share. It is now, 152,750, an average annual return of almost 14%.

One technique that investors use is following in the footsteps of Buffett; in other words, check to see what companies Warren Buffett is acquiring and buying the same stocks. Let's look at Buffett's latest acquisitions.

Last quarter, Berkshire Hathaway bought Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), the farm products company that markets protein meal, vegetable oil, corn sweeteners, flour, biodiesel, ethanol, and other food items. The stock trades at 15 times earnings and pays a decent yield of 2.4%. Quarterly dividends were increased last month by 8.6%. Earnings for the latest quarter skyrocketed 537.5% year-over-year, on a 6.9% rise in revenues.

Verisign (VRSN), the Internet infrastructure company, is another recent Buffett purchase. The stock trades at 24 times earnings. Earnings were up 96.3% for the latest quarter, n a 13% increase in sales. The company does not pay a dividend.

Buffett also owns Kraft Foods Group (KRFT), which owns such brands as Kraft, Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, Planters, and JELL-O. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 18 and yields 4.1%. Earnings were down 77.8% for the latest quarter, on a 10.7% drop in revenues.

If you want a free list of Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway stocks, most of which pay dividends, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which shows the stock ticker symbols, price to earnings ratios, and yields.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Top Yielding Ethanol Stocks

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said that gas prices would drop below $2 per gallon if she she is elected. If that happens, there isn't much hope for ethanol as a substitute fuel. The price of crude oil has been trading around $85 a barrel for the last few days. However, with the tragedy of Hurricane Irene, concerns abound about oil production being affected causing rising prices. This could lead to an increase in the interest in and use of ethanol. Fortunately there are over 20 ethanol related stocks with more than a dozen paying dividends according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

The number one ethanol stock that comes to most investors' minds is Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), which has a corn processing division that produces ethanol from corn. The stock trades at 8.2 times forward earnings and provides investors with a yield of 2.3%. Revenues were up a strong 46.6% for the latest quarter year-over-year, however earnings were down 14.6%.

The Andersons (ANDE), an Ohio based company, is involved in the management of ethanol production facilities and grain and ethanol trading. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 8.9 and a yield of 1.2%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an incredible 79.7% on a 65% rise in revenues.

Bunge Ltd. (BG) is a White Plains, New York company founded in 1818 that produces ethanol from sugarcane. The stock has a forward P/E of 9 and a yield of 1.7%. Revenues for the latest quarter were up 32% but earnings were down 82%.

A free list of stocks related to ethanol in some way, which can be downloaded, updated and sorted, can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.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

High Yield Ethanol Stocks

A company called Qteros, which is backed by George Soros, has developed a process to use microbes to create enzymes that more efficiently changes plant waste to ethanol. The company has just entered into a joint venture with India-based Praj Industries. Qteros is privately held, but there are plenty of other companies involved in ethanol production and products which are publicly traded, over 15 of which pay dividends according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Here are a few examples.

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has a corn processing division which produces ethanol from corn. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 10.3, a forward P/E of 9.3 and a yield of 2%. Although revenues were up 12.6% for the latest quarter, earnings were down 30.4%.

The Andersons (ANDE), an Ohio based company, is involved in the management of ethanol production facilities and grain and ethanol trading. The stock has a P/E of 12.8, forward P/E of 11.3 and a yield of 1.2%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 11.5%.

Bunge Ltd. (BG) is a White Plains, New York company founded in 1818 that produces ethanol from sugarcane. The stock has a P/E of 4.9, a forward P/E of 12.3 and a yield of 1.4%. Earnings for the latest quarter were down 8.6%.

A free list of stocks related to ethanol in some way, in an Excel format, which can be updated and sorted, can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Top Ethanol Stocks

The Neolithic people used ethanol as a beverage 9,000 years ago, according to some researchers. Ethanol was first used as fuel in 1840 as lamp fuel. With the price of oil bouncing way above $70 a barrel, fuel alternatives such as ethanol are receiving closer examination. For a list of all the stocks related to ethanol in some way, with financial data such as PE ratios and yields, and can be sorted, added to, and changed, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Some examples are listed below.

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has a corn processing division which produces ethanol from corn. The stock has a forward P/E of 8.9 and a yield of 2.3%.

The Andersons (ANDE) is involved in the management of ethanol production facilities and grain and ethanol trading. The stock has a forward P/E of 10 and a yield of 1.0%.

DuPont (DD) developed a measurement and reporting system to increase ethanol production. The stock has a P/E of 12 and a yield of 4.5%.

A list of stocks related to ethanol in some way, in an Excel format, which can be added to and sorted, can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com

Dead Cat Bounces of the S&P 500

Forget the Dogs of the Dow. How about the Dead Cat Bounces of the Standard & Poor's 500? A dead cat bounce takes place when a generally bad stock drops substantially and has a little bounce in price after the big drop. If you take a look at the stocks of the S&P 500 that have greatly underperformed other stocks in their industry, some interesting names turn up.

However, I wouldn't necessarily call them dead cats because most of them are fairly high quality stocks, however, because of their huge drop, there may be some buying opportunities.

One nice feature about all of these stocks which have underperformed their industry average by over 15% is that they all pay dividends of at least 1.5%. Shown below is the performance versus the other stocks in their industry, the market cap, and the yield.

Monsanto Company (MON) -21.7% $37.6B 1.5%
Sempra Energy (SRE) -17.9% $12.5B 3.1%
KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLAC) -17.7% $5.4B 1.9%
The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation (DNB) -17.4% $3.8B 1.9%
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) -17.3% $18.2B 2.1%
H&R Block, Inc. (HRB) -16.7% $6.0B 3.3%
QUALCOMM, Inc. (QCOM) -15.8% $70.8B 1.8%

By the way, if yu like stocks that pay a high yeild, you should check out the high dividend stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com

Dividends from ETFs? Yes!

Many investors who have never purchased an ETF or Exchange Traded Fund, think that ETFs are primarily for for traders. However, there are actually hundreds of ETFs which pay dividends, and WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has turned up more than 20 with yields above 5%. There are several ETF categories to choose from including high yield bond, real estate, and emerging markets bond. Here are a few examples.

The PowerShares High Yield Corporate Bond (PHB) ETF pays a yield of 8.8%, and attempts to track the Wachovia High-Yield Bond index. The fund has been paying monthly dividends since December of 2007. It has outperformed the High Yield Bond category over the last three months. Some of the largest holdings include bonds from Baldor Electric (BEZ) and Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK).

The iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index (PFF) ETF yields 7.9% tracking the S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index. They have been paying dividends almost every month since May 2007. The ETF has outperformed its category and index over the last year. Larger holdings include preferreds from Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and Barclays plc (BCS).

Do your homework on these ETFs before investing, especially the yield calculations, since many of the yields are based on recent higher than typical dividends that may not be maintained in the future. Always check the historical dividend payment history. A good starting point for high yield ETF ideas is the free database at wsnn.com, which can be sorted, added to, and changed.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com