Value Investing News

The Clorox Company (CLX) engages in the production, marketing, and sales of consumer products in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Cleaning, Lifestyle, Household, and International. The company is a dividend aristocrat which has increased distributions for 33 years in a row.

There are millions of baby boomers retiring and needing financial advice. I expect them to use financial advice from certified planners, which would pre-sell open and closed-end funds and other financial products. While I am a big fan of dividend investing in retirement, I understand that most investors would probably end up relying on the four percent rule.

Below you could find a brief overview of each of the four stock picks:

there are very few reasons to own gold, besides the expectations that it would hit some magical high point because the imaginary printing press of the FED would create massive inflation. Gold is typically perceived as a store of value and as a sort of international currency.

Warren Buffett’s latest annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) shareholders was published on Feb 26. The major theme of this letter was how to value Berkshire Hathaway as a company. Given the diverse nature of the company’s operations, this is no small task. Another important item that the Oracle of Omaha discussed was the dividend stream that flows to Berkshire on a regular basis.

The dividend achievers index consists of US stocks which have raised their dividends each year for at least a decade. Over the past 20 years, this index has managed to outperform the S&P 500 by half a percentage point annually. The dividend achievers index is a great list of dividend stocks as a start.

Every week I check the list of companies that raise dividends. There are several reasons for that. The most of important reasons include checking whether companies I own keep raising distributions, as well as to identify companies which could be a potential addition to my portfolio at some point in time. The companies which announced increases in their dividend payments include:

Few companies have managed to raise dividends for several consecutive years in a row. For example there are fewer than 300 companies listed on US exchanges which have raised distributions for more than one decade. Of particular interest to many dividend investors are companies which are able to raise earnings, which fuels future dividend growth.

Cardinal Health, Inc. provides health care products and services primarily in the United States. The company is a member of the Dividend Achievers index and has raised dividends for 21 years in a row. The company last raised its dividend by 11% to 21.50 cents/share in May 2010.

As a dividend growth investor, two of the best dividend lists for further research that I have focused on have been the S&P Dividend Aristocrats and the Dividend Achievers Indexes.

Management typically evaluates short and mid-term economic and business conditions when they decide on allocation of limited resources. Cash is one such resource, which could either be reinvested back in the business, or returned to shareholders. Companies typically achieve some optimal balance in allocating cash flows from earnings between owners and the business.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) provides technology-based outsourcing solutions to employers, and vehicle retailers and manufacturers. It operates in three segments: Employer Services, Professional Employer Organization Services, and Dealer Services. This dividend aristocrat has raised dividends for 35 consecutive years.

Many investors have been told that buy and hold does not work anymore. With almost everyone glued to screens streaming real-time quotes, news and charts and with so many institutional investors having extremely short term timeframes, one would certainly believe that buy and hold investing is a dinosaur strategy.

When analyzing the dividend increases announced for the past week, I noticed that the data confirms my expectations. Most of the higher yielding stocks that announced dividend increases have had slow distributions growth, with some exceptions. Master Limited Partnerships seem to be on a roll this month.

The Chubb Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty insurance to businesses and individuals. The company operates through three segments: Personal Insurance, Commercial Insurance, and Specialty Insurance. The company is member of the S&P Dividend Aristocrats index.Chubb has increased dividends for 45 years in a row.