updates

Market Wrap-Up for Feb.18 (JWN, CF, DLR, SWK, EOG, WTW, more)

Filed in CF Industries, Digital Realty Trust, dividend, downgrade, earnings, EOG Resources, Gold Investment, lead, o, shares, updates, upgrade, Warren Buffett by on February 18, 2011 • 0 Comments

We’re saw a gradual rise for the DOW as other indices remained fairly flat, finishing what has been a generally solid week for the averages. We added a new yield-focused name to our recommended list today, while also removing three growth names from our list as well. Be sure to check out Dividend.com Premium for those stories if you did not read the e-mail alerts we sent out earlier today. Elsewhere, earnings results are lifting shares of Digital Realty Trust ( DLR ), a recent addition to our recommended list. Nordstrom ( JWN ) bounced off of earlier levels and closed higher following the company’s earnings report, as well as news the company was buying a private sales e-commerce company. Wall Street upgrades pushed several stocks higher, including Stanley Black & Decker ( SWK ), EOG Resources ( EOG ), and Raytheon ( RTN ). On the downside, fertilizer play CF Industries ( CF ) sold off after reporting better-than-expected results. Weight Watchers ( WTW ) also gave back just a smidgen of yesterday’s huge gains. The speculation in the venture capital space continues to rage on as we continue to hear about huge rounds of money being raised at ever-climbing market valuations. Mark Cuban just came out with some comments that echoed what I have been saying about the “game” that is going on, where eventually regular investors get burned with the usual late invitations to participate (post-IPO after the insiders have already cashed…

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Market Wrap-Up for Feb.4 (AET, WY, MA, K, SPG, AVB, more)

Filed in dividend, downgrade, earnings, Gold Investment, lead, Mastercard, o, ubs, updates, upgrade, Walt Disney by on February 4, 2011 • 0 Comments

Talk about a confusing jobs number this morning! The estimates were for 150K new jobs, but instead the number came in at 36K. Yet the unemployment rate fell from 9.5% to 9%. Now I consider myself to be pretty good at math, but what formula was used to come up with these results? The market certainly didn’t have any trouble with the number as an afternoon rally pushed up to finish higher on the day. Aetna ( AET ) and Weyerhaeuser ( WY ) received some love from buyers following earnings results. Aetna also raised their dividend payout from $.05 to $.60 on an annualized basis. That’s certainly a bit more of respectable payout from this health insurance giant. Mastercard ( MA ) and Kellogg ( K ) continued to see upside from yesterday’s earnings results as well. On the downside today were REITs following results that failed to excite investors. Simon Property Group ( SPG ) and AvalonBay Communities ( AVB ) paced the way lower. Be sure to check out the list of 10 dividend stocks we removed from our recommended list if you did not read the e-mail alert that we sent out earlier. As I mentioned yesterday, I am just starting my preparation for national radio interviews for my upcoming Be a Dividend Millionaire book as well as discussions on dividend investing, and of course Dividend.com. Yesterday afternoon, I had my initial interview with my media team. The process is to identify key areas of discussion for my future interviews as well as pointers to make the interviews as captivating as possible. I’m not sure how long the interviews will be, so you need to have game plans to hit all your key points in whatever time is allotted. One of the people I was working with yesterday afternoon is a baby boomer who is worried about not having enough income built up for her retirement. What I did was point her to our Compounding Interest Calculator , and by the end of the call, she said I’d inspired her and given her hope! Think about this example: you are just about to turn 50 years old and have not yet saved a dime (it’s quite common – check out the data below that was just released by the Harris Poll just yesterday). Believe it or not, even at 50, you still…

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Market Wrap-Up for Jan.21 (GE, COF, STI, FCX, BTU, MCD, JNJ, more)

Filed in commodities, dividend, downgrade, earnings, economy, Ford, freeport mcmoran, General Electric, Gold, Gold Investment, lead, Lear, o, shares, silver, updates, upgrade by on January 21, 2011 • 0 Comments

We sometimes hear from dividend investors who simply over-analyze their investments. For instance, dividend stock prices are automatically negatively adjusted on the ex-dividend date to reflect the upcoming payout. This practice, put into place by the exchanges themselves, prevents people from “gaming” the dividend system. Investors sometimes panic at these price drops, despite them being a natural part of dividend investing. A one- or two-point drop in a high-quality dividend stock, especially as a result of an ex-dividend adjustment, is nothing to be concerned about! Now if the stocks gets down 20-25% off its 52-week high, then and only then you may have something to worry yourself with. This illustrates the danger of focusing on the short term, which usually causes investors to start trying to time the markets. Trying to time every movement perfectly is trading, not investing, so forget about looking for immediate price gains as soon as you purchase a security! Before we look at today’s market action, just a quick note to check out today’s new recommendation changes in the link below if you did not read the e-mail alert we sent out earlier. The market got off to a decent start on the back of solid earnings results from General Electric ( GE ). We also saw positive reactions to financial plays SunTrust Banks ( STI ), Capital One Financial ( COF ), and BB&T Corp ( BBT ). Wall Street analyst upgrades also helped lift shares of Eaton Corp ( ETN ) and Parker-Hannifin ( PH ). Sellers hit commodity plays once again, with Freeport McMoran ( FCX ), Walter Energy ( WLT ), and Peabody Energy ( BTU ) taking a hit. I’m hearing from some gold and silver investors about the recent pain they have seen with the recent price drop. I don’t see any particular long-term worries at this point, but with signs of the economy getting its mojo back, the case for the metals may not be as seductive as it has been. Overall, it may be a good time to get some gold stock candidates ready to examine on healthy pullbacks. I have been consistently saying here that the metals could be in for a pullback, and urged caution back in late November, so hopefully anyone that was sitting on nice profits was able to ring the register at higher levels. I still believe that this generation of investors is not afraid of looking at commodities for a part an investment portfolio, so I doubt that we will go back to long-term periods of gold and silver languishing. We finish up …

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Market Wrap-Up for Jan.14 (JPM, PNC, STT, GS, NEM, MEE, GE, more)

Filed in Barrick Gold, Dell, dividend, downgrade, earnings, Ford, Gold, Gold Investment, Gold Miners, goldman sachs, jp morgan, lead, Lear, miners, o, shares, updates, upgrade, Wells Fargo by on January 14, 2011 • 0 Comments

As I progress through my early 40′s, I like to think back to how I approached money in my earlier years. Being an entrepreneur, there is always a constant need to invest in your business and in yourself. That said, I still regret not being more proactive when it came to thinking about long-term wealth and financial security. The beauty of compound interest (which dividend stocks are great at providing when you re-invest those dividends) is something to marvel at when you start tabulating the numbers. You can use our Compounding Interest Calculator to measure your hypothetical rate of return, based on the number of years and amount of money you invest. Of course, getting married, having kids, and buying a home can put quite a dent in your best-laid plans. What was Mike Tyson’s famous line? I believe it was “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Now I’m not trying to liken a boxing match to your family life, but the fact remains that the expenses you incur in adulthood can take quite a toll on your financial goals. Some investors are now in a position of making up for lost time, scrambling to start or build their retirement nest egg at a later stage in their lives than they’d prefer. The way I see it, the solution to this problem is simple: put more money each month to work for you. Some things you learn with age, and when it comes to money, most of us don’t start to really appreciate the power it has in our lives until we look up at the scoreboard and realize we’ve lost some initial ground. The key word I used there is “initial”, because it is NEVER too late to come back and make a difference. My dad had a barber friend who bought his first house at 77 years old! That’s the way you have to look at life. Never stop trying to achieve your goals, no matter how late you are in the game. I don’t care if all you can afford is $25 a month to start investing. Pick an online broker and get an account open if you don’t have one already. If you’re employed, set up an IRA and fund it with the maximum contribution you can make every year. And if you have kids, get a Coverdell Education Savings Account started for each of them and fund those as well. If your employer matches your 401k contributions, then do that too! Do whatever you can to make it happen. In time, you’ll look back …

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Market Wrap-Up for Jan.7 (SCHN, NEM, GES, CME, UNP, INTC, more)

Filed in commodities, dividend, downgrade, earnings, Gold, Gold Investment, Gold Prices, jp morgan, lead, o, shares, silver, ubs, updates, upgrade by on January 7, 2011 • 0 Comments

We’re very happy to see that our subscribers are increasingly purchasing Dividend.com Premium subscriptions for their friends and loved ones in the form of gifts. A gift subscription to our service is a great idea, but I don’t want it to just stop there. As my kids get older, my goal is to set up time each week to teach them in easily digestible ways what they need to learn about money. I’m going to draw the lessons from the “Learn to be Rich” section of our site, as well as from our “Investing Videos” section. Of course, I could tell them to just watch the videos, but there is something to be said when it comes to engaging in a dialogue directly with your children. I know I’ll need some patience, as it can sometimes take a little time to absorb the rationale for how money works and what it is spent on and why. Whether you have children, younger relatives, or anyone that you want to help mentor about money, the idea is to consistently make time each week or month and go over one topic at a time. Growing up as a kid, talking about money never really happened at my kitchen table. My dad would talk about his day at the barber shop and if it was busy or slow, but we never got into details on how much money he made, and how the bills got paid. I had no clue what our status was financially until my dad bought his first house at age 36 — that was when we felt like we’d “made it.” I don’t want my own kids to be in the dark for most of their early lives about money, as I was. Please think about doing the same, and you can start by going through a lot of the material on Dividend.com. Also, when my book Be a Dividend Millionaire comes out (eBook this February, hardcover in May), I’m sure you’ll find it a simple and easy-to-understand read. I purposely made it that way so almost anyone can …

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Market Wrap-Up for Dec.23 (CF, POT, AGU, NKE, BBY, more)

Filed in best buy, dividend, earnings, Gold, Gold Investment, inflation, o, potash corp, shares, updates by on December 23, 2010 • 0 Comments

Tom and I just wrapped up a great new video today where we run down the potential market themes dividend investors will face in 2011. As I started mentioning the past few days, I’m beginning to think the financials will see an uptrend in 2011. We see the pipeline of mergers, IPOs, rising interest rates, and rising dividends (the TARP handcuffs could be close to coming off) as the catalyst for higher prices. It’s still considered a bit of a contrarian call, but as we crunch the earnings estimates, it looks like much of the bad news has likely been already priced into most of the financial stocks. Our fear when it comes to gold is that with many retail investors embracing the yellow metal after a four-fold run-up the last few years, the gains could be a bit tougher to come by as we head into 2011. Now there could be wild cards and events that could cause gold to rally of course, but based on the sentiment we see, the gains could still be a struggle. If you have been riding the momentum higher, don’t be afraid to put a stop order in to prevent any quick pullbacks from wiping away your gains. We also talk about the rising danger facing municipalities and how pensions may not be as safe as they once were in the public sector. The importance of this is to hit home the fact that investors need several income sources as they build toward retirement. No Social Security “cost of

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Market Wrap-Up for Dec.17 (BMO, MI, ACN, ORCL, MA, V, more)

Filed in dividend, downgrade, E Reader, earnings, Gold Investment, lead, Mastercard, o, shares, ubs, updates, upgrade by on December 17, 2010 • 0 Comments

We’re happy to announce our new Dividend ETFs section on our site today! We want to bring our subscribers a roster of ETF options for anyone considering a bit more diversification and exposure to international markets. We do not currently rate the ETFs, but do give readers the trend direction to follow. The data will be updated each day, so be sure to check it out. Also, Tom and I just wrapped up our “Top 3 Market Themes of the Week” video , so be sure to give it a look. Lots of good stuff! Some good news came out this morning for investors, as it appears the Bush tax cuts are well on their way (as we figured they would). This is one less worry for the markets at this point, but with the upward price action we have seen the last 19 months or so, any worries have been easily handled by investors. At some point this could change and it would mean the investing climate could get trickier. We’ll be sure to keep readers posted as to when we see the potential danger signs. We swapped two new names on to our recommended list this morning, while removing two previous recommendations. Be sure to check out the post if you did not read the e-mail alert we sent out this morning. Interesting news out today from Bank of Montreal ( BMO ), which is looking to acquire former TARP recipient Marshall & Ilsley ( MI ). It is a bit of a strange move for the Canadian banking play to want to buy one of the more struggling bank plays, with other banking companies in the same market cap range that are acting better from a stock price performance standpoint. Investors are none too happy, with BMO shares finishing down 7%. On the earnings front, investors cheered results from Oracle Corp ( ORCL ) and Accenture ( ACN ). These former recommendations are still on our radar and we are watching both stocks closely. Some investors were surprised there was no rebound today for credit card plays MasterCard ( MA ) and Visa ( V ) following yesterday’s big drop on debit card fee concerns. Looking ahead to next week, earnings will continue to be light, with notables such as Darden Restaurants ( DRI ), Nike ( NKE ) and Walgreen Co. ( WAG ) set to report. Be sure to catch up with our latest watchlist updates, including the new

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Market Wrap-Up for Dec.10 (GE, JPM, MTB, AVB, NSM, CVC, BBY, more)

Filed in best buy, dividend, downgrade, earnings, Gold Investing, Gold Investment, jp morgan, lead, o, shares, updates, upgrade by on December 10, 2010 • 0 Comments

You ever wonder why “investing” in a Social Security “pension” works? Because it is automatically done and there is nothing for a worker to do. To be able to retire with a considerable nest egg, the first process will require that investors get money into accounts that can be used to accumulate high-quality dividend-paying stocks. Figure out what it takes to do this and get yourself in position to get that money to work for you each month. The reason I bring this up from time to time is the data that I keep coming across that alarms me — and should alarm you too. A recent survey from Wells Fargo reports that the average American has saved less than 7 percent of his desired retirement nest egg and will likely have to keep working in retirement to supplement his income. The sooner investors understand that sitting in cash over extended periods of time is not the smartest move, the sooner they will come in off the sidelines. It will happen, but in the meantime, you can put yourself in a better position financially to build your nest egg by getting a specific amount of funds ready to work for you each week or month. You can still enjoy yourself with things you like to do, but save some of that entertainment money to put to work for you as well. Looking at today’s action, Beckman Coulter ( BEC ) spiked on reports the company could be for sale. This is another bullish anecdote to watch for as we move forward. More on recent bullish trends we are seeing can be seen in today’s video from Tom and myself. Elsewhere, Wall Street analyst upgrades helped lift shares of AvalonBay Communities ( AVB ), JP Morgan ( JPM ), and M&T Bank ( MTB ). Cablevision ( CVC ) was higher on news it will be added to the S&P 500 Index. General Electric ( GE ) shares rose this afternoon following news of the company’s second dividend increase this year. On the downside, National Semiconductor ( NSM ) slumped following the company’s earnings outlook. Looking ahead to next week, earnings will continue to be light, with notables such as Best Buy ( BBY ), Accenture ( ACN ) and General Mills ( GIS ) set to report. Be sure to catch up with our latest watchlist updates, including the new reports on earnings/story stocks, analyst upgrades/downgrades and how those names performed

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Market Wrap-Up for Dec.3 (WAG, PVH, BTU, DD, COST, more)

Filed in democrats, dividend, downgrade, earnings, Federal Reserve, Gold, Gold Investing, lead, o, pimco, shares, updates, upgrade by on December 3, 2010 • 0 Comments

With this morning’s jobs’ number worse than expected, we could likely see the Democrats and Republicans align on extending the “Bush Era” tax cuts. This could lead to the capital gains tax rates remaining the same, also good news for dividend payouts as well. Well-known bond guru Bill Gross of PIMCO was on the wires earlier, saying the Federal Reserve will likely be unable to raise interest rates for several years. Income investors will need to be alert to this continuing trend and look for the best investment vehicles that will take the place of savings accounts and CDs. The good news is you’ll need to look no further than dividend-paying stocks as a great source to help your current retirement/wealth goals. Taking a peek at today’s action, the averages were able to muster late gains following the weak monthly unemployment report. Phillips-Van Heusen ( PVH ) traded lower following the company’s earnings results. Safeway ( SWY ) was also lower on a negative analyst call. Walgreen Co. ( WAG ) was up on solid November sales data. Also higher were shares of Dupont ( DD ) and Peabody Energy ( BTU ), following bullish analyst commentary. Gold and oil prices pushed higher on the weak economic data from the morning as well. Looking ahead to next week, earnings will be continue to be light, with notables such as Costco ( COST ) and National Semiconductor ( NSM ) coming out with earnings results. Be sure to catch up with our latest watchlist updates, including the new reports on earnings/story stocks, analyst upgrades/downgrades and how those names performed on the week. All that will be available this weekend on Dividend.com Premium , and as always, you can view our current recommendations on our industry-leading Best Dividend Stocks List. Have a great weekend everybody, and thanks for reading! Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .

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Market Wrap-Up for Nov.30 (JPM, BAC, GS, MRK, ABX, FDX, more)

Filed in bank of america, Barrick Gold, ceo, Debt, dividend, earnings, euro, Gold, Gold Investing, Gold Prices, goldman sachs, jp morgan, lead, o, updates, upgrade by on November 30, 2010 • 0 Comments

There was lots of market trepidation once again today in regards to the European debt situation, but investors should not overlook the potential debt time-bomb that is ticking here in the U.S. Recent data I read from the Office of Management and Budget, US FY2011 White House Budget, and European Commission Eurostat highlighted some scary figures. The data revealed total US government debt as a percentage of GDP tallied 94 percent in 2010, which is not that much better than recently bailed out Greece, where debt as percentage of GDP reached 115 percent last year. I would hate to think what a U.S.-led rescue package could cost and what effect this could have on the global economic situation. This is something we are not taking our eyes off as we navigate through the daily ritual of identifying trends that can influence what companies we want to stick with on our recommended list, new names that could be added, and stocks that we prefer to head back to the the sidelines with. As the U.S. looks to tighten its belt, we are seeing proposals that could have a significant impact on what workers can expect when it comes time to retirement. The bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has pitched several Social Security initiatives to save the system from possible extinction, including raising the retirement age and gradually increasing the “taxable maximum” – or the maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes &#…

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Market Wrap-Up for Nov.26 (FCX, MA, SPG, AEM, NEM, more)

Filed in dividend, earnings, euro, freeport mcmoran, Gold, Gold Investment, lead, noble, o, updates by on November 26, 2010 • 0 Comments

The markets got off to a shaky start this morning as overseas markets were in worry mode about the tensions in the Korean peninsula, as well as the lingering economic concerns surrounding Ireland and possibly other European countries. The trading in the day after Thanksgiving is almost always on the light side as the equity markets closed early (1:00pm Est.). This was always a day I did very little on, but was a great day going through my accounts to make sure my positions were what I expected, and that I had not inadvertently made any transaction errors over the course of time. It happens to the best of investors, so be sure to double-check all your transactions every so often. Some of the names that pushed us lower today were Freeport McMoran ( FCX ), Mastercard ( MA ), PetroChina ( PTR ), and Simon Property Group ( SPG ). Gold-mining plays also lagged, with Agnico-Eagle Mines ( AEM ), and Newmont Mining ( NEM ) both lower. Del Monte Foods ( DLM ) bucked the early drop on news the company is going to be acquired. Private equity firms are continuing to make their moves. They will look geniuses if the equity markets hold up well, as the usual plan is to unlock hidden values and streamline operations in order to get the company ready for either a sale or IPO in due time. Looking ahead to next week, earnings will be extremely light, with notables such as Barnes & Noble ( BKS ) and Kroger ( KR ) coming out with earnings results. Be sure to catch up with our latest watchlist updates this weekend on Dividend.com Premium, and as always, you can view our current recommendations on our industry-leading Best Dividend Stocks List. Have a great weekend everybody, and thanks for reading! Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .

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Market Wrap-Up for Nov.19 (NKE, WLT, CLF, WYNN, DIS, BA, more)

Filed in boeing, dividend, earnings, Federal Reserve, Gold Investing, lead, o, updates by on November 19, 2010 • 0 Comments

It’s been pretty amazing to see the trend of quick morning spikes, followed by 5-6 hours of a tight trading range whenever we get the triple digit gains on the Dow (which we saw again yesterday). This type of action certainly stirs the pot for market conspiracy theorists. We all know the Federal Reserve has been active in the financial markets with liquidity, so the action should not be too much of a shock. The key thing to watch is if the pattern starts to change. Here at Dividend.com, we’ve been able to successfully navigate through any sort of market environment as we look for the best dividend investment opportunities we can find. Investors need to focus on this area as well. There have been too many people that have remained on the sidelines for fear of the markets tumbling. Sitting in cash for long periods of time rarely makes for the best strategy. We’re certainly not known here as the most bullish of market pundits, but we don’t want investors to get hooked on trying to time the markets either. We still have a number of potential new recommendations we are eying, but also know that we may need to make changes to our current list if need be. As we look at today’s action, there were some well-known plays that powered higher, despite the sluggish averages. Nike ( NKE ), Wynn Resorts ( WYNN ), Walter Energy ( WLT ), and Cliffs Natural Resources ( CLF ) paced the gainers’ list. On the flipside, Disney ( DIS ) and Boeing ( BA ) were a couple of weak performers. Be sure to check out the “Market Themes” video for some notes on this week’s action and a look toward next week. Speaking of next week’s holiday-shortened trading, there will be fewer earnings on the board, but we will be getting reports from Deere ( DE ), Tiffany ( TIF ) and Analog Devices ( ADI ), to name a few. Be sure to catch up with our latest watchlist updates this weekend on Dividend.com Premium, and as always, you can view our current recommendations on our industry-leading Best Dividend Stocks List. Have a great weekend everybody, and thanks for reading! Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .

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