Attention Yield Seekers: Now Is Your Chance to Act!

In this low interest rate environment, dividends are still looking great. After all, the S&P 500 currently yields about 2%, and that is a heck of a lot better than you can get through most savings accounts. On top of this, dividends do two important things:

  1. First, a generous dividend payment lowers a stock’s volatility. I’d much rather own a stock that’s stable rather than one that scatters all over the place.
  2. They also tell me how much money a company really has. If the company is willing to part with cash in the form of a dividend payment, then I know they really earned it.

But you still have to do your homework and screen dividend stocks for fundamental health

. Stock selection remains critical with dividend stocks, because if you choose them correctly, you can make a fortune both as your invested capital appreciates over the years—and as the quarterly dividend grows.

And now is the perfect time to do so because we’re coming up on a bunch of ex-dividend dates over the next few weeks. I’ve listed the big dividends below, as well as my current Portfolio Grader ranking for each of these stocks.

Symbol Company Ex-Dividend Yield My Take
AAPL Apple 8-Aug 2.77% Strong Sell
BA Boeing 7-Aug 1.80% Buy
CAG ConAgra Foods 29-Jul 2.71% Strong Buy
CLF Cliffs Natural Resources 13-Aug 3.28% Strong Sell
COST Costco 9-Aug 1.05% Buy
DFS Discover Financial 6-Aug 1.60% Buy
DUK Duke Energy 14-Aug 4.43% Hold
EXC Exelon 13-Aug 3.98% Strong Sell
F Ford 31-Jul 2.36% Buy
FNV Franco-Nevada Corporation ADR 13-Aug 1.66% Sell
HAS Hasbro 30-Jul 3.35% Buy
HBI Hanesbrands, 9-Aug 1.39% Strong Buy
HCI Homeowners Choice 14-Aug 2.70% Buy
GSK GlaxoSmithKline 7-Aug 4.88% Hold
KR Kroger 13-Aug 1.54% Strong Buy
LLY Eli Lilly 13-Aug 3.73% Hold
MCO Moody’s 16-Aug 1.55% Buy
MSFT Microsoft 13-Aug 2.88% Sell
PETS PetSmart 31-Jul 0.92% Buy
PFE Pfizer 31-Jul 3.26% Buy
SHW Sherwin Williams 14-Aug 1.16% Buy
SJM J.M. Smucker 14-Aug 2.12% Strong Buy
SON Sonoco Products 14-Aug 3.25% Hold
TGT Target 19-Aug 2.35% Hold
TXN Texas Instruments 29-Jul 2.88% Buy
V Visa 16-Aug 0.71% Buy

Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2013/07/attention-yield-seekers-now-is-your-chance-aapl-ba-cag-clf-cost/.

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