Value Investing News

Weekly roundup of stocks moving in and out of Joel Greenblatt's Magic Formula® Investing screens.

As we start a new year, this is the time that people make their resolutions. In addition the timeless resolutions of losing weight, quitting smoking, start exercising, et. al, some people are resolving to get their finances in order in case the economy turns down in 2012. Here is one more resolution may want to consider...

32 best dividend stocks selected for 2012 based on valuation and earnings.

There is perceived safety in size. Giant corporations aren't randomly grown. Instead, they are carefully built through superior management and foresight. Often these are more mature companies that also offer stability and predictability, usually at the expense of dynamic growth. These are your mega-cap stocks.

As in the above example, where a few readers want to identify both Sirius and Bank of America together as being “cheap," I have come to realize there are various categories of that definition. One of the traits that fuse and unify all investors together in the market (or in the grocery store) is the need to find a bargain or a cheap stock to buy.

As the world continues to shrink through technology advancements, and all of the products that consumers demand become commoditized, a company’s brand can be a valuable competitive advantage. It’s no coincidence then that the four top brands in the world, as measured by their brand value, are also among the largest in terms of capitalization and revenue.

Weekly roundup of stocks moving into and out of Joel Greenblatt's Magic Formula Investing screens.

Weekly roundup of stocks moving in and out of Joel Greenblatt's Magic Formula Investing screens.

Once again it is time for a goals/progress update. I am pleased to report that annualized dividend income increased in October, extending the streak to 16 consecutive months of increases after June 2010's decline. Since I began publicly tracking annualized dividend income in November 2007, it has increased in 45 of the last 47 months.

Who wouldn't like to earn a safe 15% on their original investment? Normally double-digit returns are the fodder of con artists or associated with extraordinarily risky investments. In either of these cases, the person is usually left holding despair in one hand and an empty wallet in the other. However, I have discovered that you can actually enjoy high yields with minimal risk...

Growth or yield? In a perfect world, income investors would want both from their investments and are not interested in investments that offer neither. This is where the common ground ends, and the debate begins. Without the benefit of a perfect world, we are left with the middle ground which is a balancing act between growth and yield.

New income investors naturally focus on yield, but the highest yielding stocks aren't always the best investments. To find the very best dividend growth stocks an investor must identify companies that will not just sustain their dividends, but increase them every year. To find these jewels in the rough, there are two very important things the investor must look for.

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Weekly roundup of stocks moving in and out of Joel Greenblatt's Magic Formula Investing screens.

The Pocket Change Portfolio (PCP) was first introduced on September 13, 2008 as a real money dividend income portfolio funded by the "pocket change" earned from my various online endeavors. Each month I report on the portfolio's progress and update its holdings. Dividends Received
Total dividends received during the month were...

Once again it is time for a goals/progress update. I am pleased to report that annualized dividend income increased in September, extending the streak to 15 consecutive months of increases after June 2010's decline. Since I began publicly tracking annualized dividend income in November 2007, it has increased in 44 of the last 46 months.