The recent market correction certainly doesn't make investors feel great when viewing their portfolio's, but it does offer an opportunity nonetheless. Contrarian investors should utilize times like this to differentiate between stocks that are dropping for fundamentally sound reasons -- and those stocks that... more

Most Dividend Aristocrats (with a minimum of 25 consecutive annual dividend increases) are not in the Dow. Below are 12 of the remaining 36 companies, diverse companies which are typically expanding in foreign markets with enormous potential because of large populations. Like Dow Dividend Aristocrats, they ha... more

Can we draw a single graph that captures exactly what investors have been seeing since the middle of last year when they look ahead at the prospects for the U.S. economy? Our chart below shows how the S&P 500's trailing year dividends per share have been projected to change into the future since 14 Ju... more

The outcome of the yesterday’s meeting between BP plc (BP) and the U.S. President is positive. An agreement was reached to create a $20 billion claims fund over the next three and a half years and the company has decided not to pay dividends to shareholders for the rest of the year, including the one sc... more

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 ma... more

I have always had a requirement for a minimum dividend yield, whenever I have analyzed and purchased dividend stocks. The reason for this requirement was to provide with at least some dividend income in case the stock stopped increasing distributions for some reason. If a stock stopped raising distributions I... more

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 ma... more

Dividend stocks are sometimes referred to as defensive stocks since many investors flee to them in an economic downturn. Their dividends, if sustainable, provide a minimum level of positive return. This cushions the downward pressure from the market. Better yet, great dividend companies not only sustain their... more

Walgreen Co (WAG) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2008 sales of $59 billion. The company operates 6,902 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The company is member of the S&P 500 and was a recent addition to the S&P Dividend Aristocrats index. Walgr... more

One doesn't have to try too hard to read about the deal of a decade available in large dividend-paying stocks. Barron's made cheap large-caps the cover story last week and followed up this week with a warning about risk in low-yielding corporate bonds after a flood of new money lately. While I often doubt som... more