Value Investing News

The Procter & Gamble Company engages in the manufacture and sale of consumer goods worldwide. The company operates in three global business units (GBUs): Beauty, Health and Well-Being, and Household Care. This dividend aristocrat has raised distributions for 53 consecutive years.

Warren Buffett, the world's greatest investor, recently released his 2010 letter to shareholders. Here are 5 points of wisdom that investors can learn from it.

Warren Buffett is arguably the best investor in the world. His main holding, Berkshire Hathaway has delivered market beating returns during his leadership. Buffett’s strategy is characterized by purchasing stocks which have a long-term durable competitive advantage in a stable industry.

Last year I introduced the Stock Ideas list and it has proven to be immensely popular. The list consists of Dividend Aristocrats, US Broad Dividend Achievers and U.S. Dividend Champions. Here are some highlights on this year’s changes:

I was amazed to find several companies on the champions list, which have raised distributions for over 50 consecutive years. The companies include:

I am a firm believer that asset allocation plays a significant part in a portfolio’s long-term results. Recently, I received a question asking if you could have a diversified portfolio of dividend stocks. It is an interesting question that deserves further examination.

Dividend investors are paid for holding common stocks, which is one reason why a company which keeps paying a stable or rising dividend does not fall as much during bear market declines. The dividend returns are always positive, which provides a safety cushion even in the worst times possible.

To ensure a retirement that is free from financial concerns, there are certain things that must be done today. For many people this is not a desirable task. However, building a secure future by investing in quality dividend stocks is neither complicated nor overly burdensome.

Over the last couple of years we have seen companies fail to raise their dividend, cut their dividend and some even decided to stop paying their dividend. In some cases their financials did not warrant the change. So, how do you fin companies with a positive dividend culture?

Investors who are worried about inflation but want to protect their principal are often told to invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, which are indexed for inflation. In other words, investors yield and principal are indexed to the CPI and adjusted as the CPI rises over time. This sounds like the perfect deal of a lifetime, except for two caveats.

Though many dividend stocks are now trading in excess of their calculated fair value, capital appreciation is not the primary reason for investing in dividend stocks. Dividend fundamentals are what drive my purchase decision, and if I could only look at one metric it would be...

While dividends have produced about 40% of average annual returns each year over the past 8 decades, capital gains are important as well. If investors believe that the company’s performance over time would improve, they would bid up the stock price.

The dividend aristocrats list includes companies which have increased dividends for over 25 years in a row. It is equally weighted and re-balanced once an year. Over the past 3,5 and 7 years the index of elite dividend stocks has managed to outperform the S&P 500 by 5%, 3.7% and 4.40% respectively.

With the expectations that the financial crisis appears to be over, investors have bid up stocks to the highest levels in over a year. There’s a lot of optimism in the news, including major banks repaying TARP money, unemployment stabilizing, and major economies rebounding.

As dividend growth investors we are looking for stocks can continue to raise their dividends indefinitely into the future. One metric that provides an indication of a dividend’s sustainability is its payout ratio.