Value Investing News

It seems that every financial adviser or financial publication is proclaiming that you should own dividend stocks. Each are eschewing the virtues of dividend stocks from their own perspective. To that I have two questions:

Even hibernating bears know that bonds have essentially been dead money over the last year, or so. Interest rates are ridiculously low and not likely to improve any time soon given the anemic U.S. economy and European financial concerns. What's done is done, so what should we expect to earn from bonds in the future? Consider these two scenarios:

Most CEOs give lip-service to their commitment to shareholders, but what happens when times are hard. When the economy turns down and the future looks bleak, will the company hoard cash and stop its dividend or put action behind its words? The key to successfully selecting dividend growth stocks is the ability to identify companies that will not only maintain but grow their dividend.

The H.J. Heinz Company produces a wide variety of food products worldwide, primarily condiments, convenience meals and snacks. Linked here is a detailed analysis and commentary.

Virtually everything in this world can be placed into a few basic categories. This is especially true for Dividend Stocks when looking at their historic performance and expectations for the future. Consider these three broad categories: The Good: As you might guess, these are the dividend stocks that are doing exactly what they should do – consistently raising their dividends each year.

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Dividend growth investing is a long-term strategy. A growing dividend is a sign that the company is becoming more valuable. Companies that consistently increase dividends tend to have steadily rising share prices and the best way to benefit from this is to buy and hold the stocks. Diversification and a focus on blue-chip stocks provides insurance for the few companies that don’t pan out.

Dividend investing should require intense scrutinizing of companies, in order to find the best stocks for ones portfolio. Otherwise, investors could end up getting whipsawed in and out of stocks, which would increase trading costs and would make them less likely to reach their goals.