The companies I selected were representative of four high yielding sectors- real estate,energy transportation,utilities and tobacco.Despite the high yields, the dividend payments seemed sustainable enough even during the financial meltdown.The average yield on the four stocks mentioned below is 6.88%.The riskiest stock of the four seems to be Realty Income,since real estate is one of the hardest h

PepsiCo, Inc. manufactures, markets, and sells various snacks, carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, and foods worldwide.

PepsiCo is a major component of the S&P 500, Dow Industrials and the Dividend Aristocrats Indexes. PepsiCo has been consistently increasing its dividends for 36 consecutive years.

IBM is a major component of the S&P 500, Dow Industrials and the Dividend Achievers Indexes. IBM has been consistently increasing its dividends for 13 consecutive years. From the end of 1998 up until December 2008 this dividend growth stock has delivered a zero annual average total return to its shareholders.

There are several stocks, which offer tempting current high yields, which are less likely to be sustained. Most of the companies mentioned below are members of the elite S&P Dividend Aristocrats index for now.

While some investors viewed Petsmart’s 233% dividend raise as extremely important, I found the increases from several high yield stocks to be very intriguing as well.

The Coca-Cola Company manufactures, distributes, and markets nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups worldwide. It principally offers sparkling and still beverages. The company is member of the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrials and the S&P Dividend Aristocrats indexes.

Garmin is a well-run, financially strong company with a leading position in a long term growth market - GPS. But is the company's 21% earnings yield really a bargain?

Companies have several means through which they share their prosperity with shareholders. Dividends are the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders in the form of cash. Share buybacks on the other hand represent cash distributed to existing shareholders in exchange for a fraction of the company’s outstanding equity.

Learn how to determine maintenance capital expenditure to get a more accurate FCF value.
JNJ, WMT and ATW used as examples.

Have you ever wondered what separates David Dreman, Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, etc.from the rest of the world? The answer is simple but the force behind it can make the difference between a great investor and an average investor. I am talking about investor psychology, also known as Behavior Finance.

Several companies expressed their confidence in their future business prospects, by raising their dividends. One of them was Realty Income (O), which engages in the acquisition and ownership of commercial retail real estate properties in the United States.

The last thing you want to see is a letter from the government. It is never good news. Either you are being drafted, they want more money from you or you are under investigation. In the case of Manulife Financial Corp. (MFC), Canada’s largest insurance company, it was the latter.

Eli Lilly and Company engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical products in the United States, Puerto Rico, and internationally. The company offers neuroscience products, endocrine products, oncology products, and cardiovascular agents for the treatment of various diseases. The company is member of the S&P Dividend Aristocrats index.

Some investors believe that by concentrating on their best ideas they could generate the best returns. After all, it is much easier to be up to date on any developments on ten to fifteen companies, rather than focusing on at least 30 individual stocks.

When it comes to selecting dividend stocks, one of the most important items to look for is consistency in raising dividends. Sure it is easy to increase dividends when the economy is booming and business is good, but to be consistent a company has to increase dividends during the tough times.