Hot Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now

Alex Crooke, Portfolio Manager Henderson Global Equity Income Fund, Henderson Global Investors

Alex Crooke:  We have a very simple philosophy that says that the companies that pay dividends tend to be safe investments if you can apply some fairly standard valuation techniques.  So stocks with a slightly high yield and growth puts them into an even better subset of companies.  By focusing on those dividends, you��re screening out a lot of companies that don��t have the profits to pay dividends.

So the philosophy then on dividends is that you��re buying companies with cash profits, from which they can pay out dividends to us as investors.  So it��s a safer pool of stocks.  Above that, we apply standard valuation metrics such as balance sheet strength, moderate levels of debt, top-line revenue growth and margin expansion.

Best Tech Companies For 2016: Kohlberg Capital Corporation(KCAP)

Kohlberg Capital Corporation is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in buyouts and mezzanine investments. It focuses on mature and middle market companies. The firm structures its investments through senior debt, second lien debt, secured and unsecured subordinated debt, mezzanine debt, and equity. It invests in all sectors except cyclical industries. The firm invests equity in both minority and control transactions alongside other equity investors. It invests through its own balance sheet. Kohlberg Capital Corporation is based in the New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  KCAP Financial (NASDAQ: KCAP) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.25 per share on revenue of $13.27 million.

  Home Inns & Hotels Management (NASDAQ: HMIN) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $2.18 per share on revenue of $1.54 billion.

Hot Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: ConAgra Foods Inc.(CAG)

ConAgra Foods, Inc. operates as a food company primarily in North America. It operates in two segments, Consumer Foods and Commercial Foods. The Consumer Foods segment provides branded, private label, and customized food products, which are sold in various retail and foodservice channels. It offers products in various categories, such as meals, entrees, condiments, sides, snacks, and desserts in frozen, refrigerated, and shelf-stable temperature classes. This segment?s principal brands include Alexia, ACT II, Banquet, Blue Bonnet, Chef Boyardee, DAVID, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt?s, Marie Callender?s, Orville Redenbacher?s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack, Swiss Miss, Van Camp?s, and Wesson. The Commercial Foods segment provides commercially branded foods and ingredients that are sold to foodservice, food manufacturing, and industrial customers. Its primary products consist of specialty potato products, milled grain ingredients, a ran ge of vegetable products, seasonings, blends, and flavors. This segment sells products under brands, such as ConAgra Mills, Lamb Weston, and Spicetec Flavors & Seasonings. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  ConAgra Foods Inc (NYSE: CAG) is projected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.61 per share on revenue of $4.20 billion.

  AAR Corp. (NYSE: AIR) is estimated to post its Q2 earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $485.30 million.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  ConAgra (NYSE: CAG  ) will release its quarterly report on Thursday, and investors have increasingly doubted whether the food giant can hold its own in an increasingly competitive environment in the industry. With Nestle (NASDAQOTH: NSRGY  ) and Kraft Foods (NASDAQ: KRFT  ) both having held up much better since August than ConAgra has, skeptics are pointing at ConAgra's lack of earnings growth as a reason to doubt its capacity for future success.

• [By John Kell and Tess Stynes var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); p]

  Among the companies expected to actively trade in Thursday’s session are Burlington Stores Inc.(BURL), ConAgra Foods Inc.(CAG) and Guess Inc.(GES)

Hot Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: CenturyLink Inc.(CTL)

CenturyLink, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated communications company. The company provides a range of communications services, including voice, Internet, data, and video services in the continental United States. Its services include local exchange and long distance voice telephone services, as well as enhanced voice services, such as call forwarding, caller identification, conference calling, voicemail, selective call ringing, and call waiting; wholesale local network access services; and data services, including high-speed Internet access services, data transmission services over special circuits and private lines, and switched digital television services, as well as special access and private line services. The company also offers fiber transport, competitive local exchange carrier, security monitoring, and other communications, as well as professional and business information services. In addition, it provides other related services, such as leasing, selling, installing, and maintaining customer premise telecommunications equipment and wiring; payphone services; and network database services, as well as participates in the publication of local telephone directories. Further, the company offers printing, direct mail services, and cable television services; and wireless broadband Internet access services and satellite television services. As of December 31, 2010, it operated approximately 6.5 million telephone access lines. CenturyLink, Inc was founded in 1968 and is based in Monroe, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  CenturyLink (CTL) has risen 2.9% to $39.90 after the telecom company reported Street-beating earnings and offering guidance that was in line with analyst forecasts.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of CenturyLink (CTL) have dropped more than 2% today on reports that it’s trying to buy cloud-computing company Rackspace Hosting (RAX).

  ZUMAPRESS.com

  Bloomberg has the details on the potential transaction:

  CenturyLink has discussed the idea with San Antonio-based Rackspace, which last month said it is still conducting an internal review of its strategic options, according to the people, who asked not to be identified talking about private information. One person said a deal may not be reached for the company, which had a stock-market valuation of $5.33 billion at the end of last week.

  Citigroup’s Michael Rollins thinks a deal will depend on valuation:

  Valuation matters. We believe CenturyLink can financially digest a possible acquisition of Rackspace under $50 per share based on our scenario analysis. We believe�CenturyLink could pay for�Rackspace using up to 50% in cash to keep net debt financial leverage near or below 3x on our pro forma analysis. While PF FV/OIBDA may not move substantially paying up to $50/share, we estimate FCF/share and norm. EPS could be diluted by up to (11%) in the first year. Based on our initial analysis, we would take a neutral view for a possible buyout under $40 per share, but believe�CenturyLink shares could trade lower if it were to pay more than $50 for Rackspace. We remain Neutral on CenturyLink largely based on valuation.

  Shares of CenturyLink have dropped 2.2% to $40.55 at 1:18 p.m., while Rackspace has gained 5% to $39.10.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Finally, we have CenturyLink� (NYSE: CTL  ) coming through with encouraging bottom-line results. Its adjusted profit of $0.76 a share was ahead of the $0.68 a share it posted a year earlier. The pros were targeting flat earnings growth.

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Avg. High Yield Price 2. 20-Year DCF Price 3. Avg. P/E Price 4. Graham Number T is trading at a discount to only 3.) above. Since T's tangible book value is not meaningful, a Graham number can not be calculated. The stock is trading at a 11.6% premium to its calculated fair value of $28.64. T did not earn any Stars in this section. Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Free Cash Flow Payout 2. Debt To Total Capital 3. Key Metrics 4. Dividend Growth Rate 5. Years of Div. Growth 6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15% T earned one Star in this section for 3.) above and earned a Star for having an acceptable score in at least two of the four Key Metrics measured. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1984 and has increased its dividend payments for 31 consecutive years. Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. NPV MMA Diff. 2. Years to > MMA T earned a Star in this section for its NPV MMA Diff. of the $1,161. This amount is in excess of the $500 target I look for in a stock that has increased dividends as long as T has. The stock's current yield of 5.76% exceeds the 3.68% estimated 20-year average MMA rate. Memberships and Peers: T is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers�� Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: CenturyLink, I

Hot Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: Meadwestvaco Corporation (MWV)

MeadWestvaco Corporation (MWV) provides packaging solutions to the healthcare, personal care and beauty, food, beverage, home and garden, tobacco, and commercial print industries worldwide. The company?s Packaging Resources segment produces bleached paperboard, Coated Natural Kraft paperboard, and linerboard. Its Consumer Solutions segment designs and produces multi-pack cartons and packaging systems primarily for the beverage take-home and tobacco market. In addition, it offers a range of converting and consumer packaging solutions, including printed plastic packaging and injection-molded products used for personal care, beauty, and pharmaceutical products; and dispensing and sprayer systems for personal care, beauty, healthcare, fragrance, and home and garden markets. In addition, this segment has a pharmaceutical packaging contract with a mass-merchant, and manufactures equipment that is leased or sold to its beverage and dairy customers to package their products. The c ompany?s Consumer & Office Products segment manufactures, sources, markets, and distributes school and office products, time-management products, and envelopes in North America and Brazil through both retail and commercial channels. Its Specialty Chemicals segment manufactures, markets, and distributes specialty chemicals derived from sawdust and other byproducts of the papermaking process in North America, South America, and Asia. Its products include activated carbon used in emission control systems for automobiles and trucks, as well as for water and food purification applications, and performance chemicals used in printing inks, asphalt paving, adhesives, and lubricants for the agricultural, paper, and petroleum industries. MWV?s Community Development and Land Management segment involves in real estate development, forestry operations, and leasing activities. MeadWestvaco Corporation was founded in 1888 and is based in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ray Merola]

  International Paper Co Share Price versus Competitors RockTenn (RKT), MeadWestvaco Corp (MWV), Packaging Corporation of America (PKG), and S&P 500 (March 2009-to-date)

• [By ovenerio]

  The company has a current ROE of 14.5% which is higher than the industry median. Also, it is higher than the ones exhibit by Sealed Air Corp (SEE) and Sonoco Products Co (SON). In general, analysts consider ROE ratios in the 15-20% range as representing attractive levels for investment. So for investors looking at those levels, MeadWestvaco Corp (MWV) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) could be the options. It is very important to understand this metric before investing, and it is important to look at the trend in ROE over time.

Hot Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: YPF Sociedad Anonima(YPF)

YPF SOCIEDAD ANONIMA, an energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Argentina. The company also involves in refining, marketing, transportation, and distribution of oil and a range of petroleum products, petroleum derivatives, petrochemicals, LPG, and bio-fuels; and gas separation and natural gas distribution operations. As of December 31, 2010, it had proved reserves of approximately 531 million barrels of oil and 2,533 billion cubic feet of gas; and retail distribution network of 1,622 YPF-branded service stations for automotive petroleum products. The company?s crude oil transportation network includes approximately 2,700 kilometers of crude oil pipelines with approximately 640,000 barrels of aggregate daily transportation capacity of refined products; crude oil tankage of approximately 7 million barrels; and terminal facilities at 5 Argentine ports. In addition, it participates in 3 power stations with an aggregate installed capacity of 1,622 megawatts. The company was founded in 1977 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. YPF SOCIEDAD ANONIMA is a subsidiary of Repsol YPF, S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  Not that I feel sorry for Argentina, of course. The country got itself into this mess by borrowing too much money and then arrogantly refusing to pay it back. Argentina has also pursued a range of disastrous anti-market policies over the past decade, has made a habit of expropriating foreign assets (as was the case when it effectively stole Repsol��s YPF (YPF) stake), and has even contributed to the soaring world price of beef by restricting exports in a boneheaded attempt to contain inflation.

Hot Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: HCP Inc. (HCP)

HCP, Inc. is an independent hybrid real estate investment trust. The fund invests in real estate markets of the United States. It primarily invests in properties serving the healthcare industry including sectors of healthcare such as senior housing, life science, medical office, hospital and skilled nursing. The fund also invests in mezzanine loans and other debt instruments. It engages in acquisition, development, leasing, selling and managing of healthcare real estate and provides mortgage and other financing to healthcare providers. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the S&P 500 Index, Berkshire Hathaway Index, and MSCI REIT Index. HCP, Inc. was formed in 1985 and is based in Long Beach, California with additional office in Nashville and San Francisco.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bob Ciura]

  However, despite headwinds in the past year due to rising rates, high-quality REITs like�HCP� (NYSE: HCP  ) ,�Health Care REIT� (NYSE: HCN  ) , and�Realty Income� (NYSE: O  ) �exhibit long-term visions for their business that should appeal greatly to Foolish investors.

• [By Fredrik Arnold]

  Results from David Fish's Dividend Champions Index compiled as of July 30, 2013 projecting price upside results one year hence showed HCP, Inc. (HCP), the healthcare properties real estate investment trust, posted a 9.45% upside to lead a pack of just four dogs this month.

• [By Jim Fink]

  Year-to-Date Performance

  Industry Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO) $55.39 $7.7 billion 3.3 -14.2% Oil Drilling HCP Inc. (NYSE: HCP) $36.22 $16.5 billion 3.5 -16.0% Healthcare REIT American Realty Capital Properties (Nasdaq: ARCP) $12.64 $2.4 billion 8.6 1.9% Retail and Office REIT Southern Co. (NYSE: SO) $40.88 $36.1 billion 9.8 -0.1% Electric Utility Cooper Tire & Rubber (NYSE: CTB) $22.01 $1.4 billion 10.3 -11.8% Automobile Tires CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) $31.36 $18.5 billion 11.8 -14.5% Telecommunications Quest Diagnostic (NYSE: DGX) $54.05 $7.8 billion 13.4 -5.4% Medical Diagnostic Tests Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP) $79.57 $34.9 billion 15.4 6.0% Energy pipeline MLP Altera (Nasdaq: ALTR) $31.98 $10.3 billion 15.9 -5.6% Semiconductors ADT Corp. (NYSE: ADT) $40.01 $8.0 billion 16.8 -12.9% Home Security

  Source: Bloomberg