Though there's a good chance your portfolio has taken a pounding of late, it probably pales in comparison to the paper losses Warren Buffett has racked up in six-plus weeks. Since the market peaked, Buffett's investment portfolio at Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A)(NYSE:BRK.B) has lost approximately $87 billion in market value, through April 2. While we won't know the full gamut of companies that Buffett purchased until mid-May, which is when Berkshire Hathaway will file its 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission, I consider it highly likely that the Oracle of Omaha added to his existing positions in the following four stocks in March...
I'd be very surprised if Buffett didn't put at least some of his capital to work in money-center bank JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) last month. Perhaps the only other big bank that can really rival JPMorgan Chase in the performance department is U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB). Berkshire Hathaway held an 8.7% stake in the company at the end of 2019, leaving enough room for Buffett to add to the position without crossing the 10% ownership threshold. Having first taken a position in grocery store chain Kroger (NYSE:KR) during the fourth quarter of 2019, I find it highly likely that Berkshire Hathaway will have further grown that stake during the first quarter (and likely in March). Finally, don't be surprised if Buffett nibbled on what's been a favorite value stock of late, General Motors (NYSE:GM).
Source: Motley Fool
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Over the last few years, most of the news about master limited partnerships (MLPs) hasn’t exactly been great. But despite the doom and gloom for the sector, there are still top-notch MLPs doing what they have always done. And that’s churn-out steady and high distributions for their unitholders. With more capital chasing fewer tickers, these top-notch MLPs have only gotten more desirable in recent quarters. For investors, there are still plenty of reasons to own the asset class. The trick now is finding which ones are worthy of your dollars. With that, here are three MLPs to buy today.
If there’s one firm that continues to get the MLP structure right, it has to be Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE:MMP). MMP has a long history of doing right by its unitholders and the reason for that continues to be management’s conservative nature. When it comes to MLPs, the strength of the parent or sponsoring firm can make all the difference. It can also hurt as well. Both of those scenarios have applied to Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE:PAA). There are MLPs and then there MLPs. Energy Transfer (NYSE:ETE) certainly fits into the latter camp. Founders Kelcy Warren and Ray Davis built ET into one of the largest MLPS and midstream firms in the country with an asset base that can’t be beat. However, these days, investors aren’t exactly treating ET like the king it once was.
Source: InvestorPlace
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Dividend growth or dividend yield. Which should investors prefer? I'm firmly in the "growth" camp since I'm still a few decades away from retirement. That's why I like to search for income stocks that hold strong profit and dividend growth potential.
Looking for income stocks that promise dividend growth? Check out these three. Mastercard (NYSE:MA), Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), and Moody's (NYSE:MCO) are three dividend payers that have all caught my eye. Investors should expect big growth in their dividends from here.
Source: Motley Fool
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Consistently stable cash flows benefit investors even if the capital appreciation in such stocks tends to be lower. Investment in these kinds of stocks can also have the effect of lowering a portfolio's volatility. In the context of markets turning bearish, having such high-dividend stocks in a portfolio translates into having highly valuable assets.
In this article, I pick three companies with solid and safe dividends for inclusion in an income portfolio. Over the years, these companies are famous for paying high dividends along with a strong track record. Each has displayed solid financials together with a strong investment strategy. These companies have distributed a considerable portion of their cash flows to the investors. With solid year-over-year financial performances they have an ability to raise their dividends in the future. These stocks are BreitBurn Energy Partners (BBEP), Main Street Capital Corporation (MAIN) and ConocoPhillips (COP).
Source: Seeking Alpha
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Microsoft (MSFT) shares are trading near the 52-week low and that is making many investors wonder if this is a buying opportunity or a value trap that could keep dropping. Many investors and analysts were hoping that Windows 8 would ignite an upgrade cycle for the PC industry which has seen tough times due to a weak global economy as well as new competition from the popularity of tablets. Unfortunately, sales for Windows 8 and the Surface tablet have been seen as disappointing by a number of industry observers.
This leads many to wonder whether Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is going to be able to keep his post for much longer. It also leads to the question of what the company can do to create more shareholder value in the future. CNBC's Herb Greenberg has made a couple of seemingly bold predictions for 2013 and two of them include his belief that Microsoft will see a change in the CEO position with Mr. Ballmer leaving and Bill Gates resuming the role of CEO. Furthermore he believes that the company will more than double its regular dividend.
Source: Seeking Alpha
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- 7 High Yielders With A Low Free Cash Flow Payout
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A super-bullish report from Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) analysts called “The Long Good Buy; the Case for Equities” is out today. It’s over 40 pages and has some heady stuff in there, but most importantly it makes the argument that stocks — particularly big dividend payers — are super cheap relative to bonds. That means long-term investors looking 10 or 20 years down the road should jump into dividend payers immediately, and not look back.
In the early 20th century, the stock market was largely viewed as a volatile asset class that underperformed bonds, and thus was not very seriously seen as an investable opportunity for most. Institutions shunned stocks, even those with tremendous dividends, and chased lower-yield in bonds because of the stability. It was a bull market for bonds. As decades passed, institutions slowly warmed up to the idea of taking on the risk of the equities market. The money started to flood into stocks and mutual funds — pushing equities higher, but driving down dividend yields in equities.
Source: InvestorPlace
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A crash course in income investing would quickly throw up a reference to large, established companies offering the highest dividend payouts. On a sector basis, this certainly appears to be the case with defensive sectors such as telecoms and utilities again expected to provide the highest average dividend yield in 2012. However, there are growing reasons to question the over-reliance on these traditional income stalwarts, with an approach based on the quality and sustainability of dividends likely to deliver stronger returns over the longer term.
The challenges facing traditional income payers are best illustrated by the telecoms sectors. Firms within this sector are expected to generate an impressive dividend yield of 5.5% this year. However, a deteriorating market environment, with the possibility of recession in Europe looming and consumers less willing to splash out on high-end smartphones, is expected to add pressure to these firms’ ability to maintain both revenue and dividend growth. The utilities sector is another traditional favourite of the income investor but there are signs that yield levels are also starting to come under pressure.
Source: InvestmentWeek
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Dividend stocks are not cool. They are not exciting. And they do not make for good conversation topics at parties. They're like the trombone player from high school who never had a date to prom. In fact, come to think of it, the only thing dividend stocks are good for is making money. And potentially lots of it. So if you're not interested in making money, then proceed no further. There's nothing glamorous to see here. But if you clicked on this article because you're greedy and want to get rich from investing.
If you take only two things away from this article, make it these principles. First, stocks that pay higher dividends have historically outperformed stocks that pay lower dividends. Second, companies that pay more in dividends typically tend to experience higher earnings growth in the future.
Source: Motley Fool
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With so much for investors to worry about in 2012, from a potential Greek default to persistently high unemployment, it's no wonder they are thirsty for yield, particularly dividend-paying stocks. But with the dividend strategy becoming a crowded space more and more each day, investors would be smart to look more closely at individual company fundamentals rather than blindly chase a high-yielding name. Thus far in 2012, growth stocks have been outperforming most dividend-paying stocks. The Russell 2000 Growth Index is up more than 7% this year already, compare a rise of 4.8% on the S&P 500.
With so much uncertainty due to Europe's debt crisis and worries over a hard landing in China, that performance could reverse and look more like 2011. Reviewing last year, dividend paying stocks outperformed non-dividend paying stocks. Those stocks with dividends increased 1.4% on average in 2011 while those without a dividend decreased 7.6% on average.
Source: The Street
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In times of panic such as the last few days, many investors start to panic, which makes it very difficult to see a clear picture. Are all stocks going to $0? Is everything about to blow up? After days when markets lost over 6%, such questions become more common. In times like these, some assets become mispriced, giving investors with a lot of cash reserves great opportunities.
The trickier part of course is trying to time the market and I would not even try. The market might decline another 5-10% and maybe even more but trying to buy at the bottom will require a lot of luck and most likely lead you to miss the opportunity. I personally prefer holding high quality dividend stocks that pay a higher dividend yield and hold a lot of cash than buying a 10-year government bond.
Source: Seeking Alpha
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If you're looking to boost the income in your portfolio, exchange-traded funds can help you get the job done. But while plenty of ETFs pay decent yields, one ETF offers truly amazing payouts to its shareholders. Below, I'll tell you the secret behind this top-yielding ETF and share some insight into how its strategy can help you with your own investing. Not so long ago, if you wanted to get income from your portfolio, you first turned to bonds and other fixed-income investments. Most bonds don't offer great prospects for capital appreciation, but much of the time, the income they generate compensates for their lack of growth potential. As a result, bonds have been favored by conservative investors who are more concerned with personal cash flow than with growing their portfolios.
But over the years, interest rates on bonds and similar investments have fallen dramatically. Go to a bank for a CD or buy a Treasury bond, and you'll be lucky to get enough of a yield to match inflation going forward. That has made them much less useful as income-producing investments. As a result, investors have increasingly turned to stocks and stock funds. In many cases, you can get better yields from dividend-paying stocks than you'll find on bonds -- along with the potential for future growth if stock prices continue to rise. With the rise of various types of ETFs, it was inevitable that fund companies would create dividend-stock ETFs. In fact, investors now have a wide range of dividend ETFs to choose from, using different strategies that emphasize different characteristics.
Source: Motley Fool
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Dividend stock investors looking for the best high-yield investments don’t need to pore over an arcane list of companies. Some of the best high-yield dividend-paying stocks are famous blue chips that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
It’s no secret why. A good dividend stock has an established brand, reliable cash flow and a fairly stable business model. The top dividend-paying stocks in the Dow are household names that aren’t going anywhere and, thus, can offer big dividends without the fear that sales will dry up and cause the dividend yield to dry up in kind. But even among the high-yield dividend stocks in Dow, there is clearly a hierarchy of investments. Some throw off 3%, but others offer a dividend yield of 4%, 5% or even 6%.
Source: Investor Place
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