Dividend.com: Dividend Investing Ideas Center

Before Apple Inc. (AAPL) declared that it would begin paying a $10.60 annualized dividend, which began in August 2012, the company was heavily criticized for having an enormous amount of cash and not returning it to its shareholders. Even after initiating a dividend, seeing a dividend yield of less than 3% was not satisfying for many investors, especially when they realized that Apple was hoarding billions in cash and long-term, marketable investments. Read More »

Long-term investors are often all too quick to dismiss opportunities in the technology sector for one simple reason: the way they see it, tech stocks are far too volatile for dividend investing. Although the dot-com bubble scared many away from the tech space (and rightfully so!), recent trends in this sector suggest that the industry’s grown up from its start-up only roots and now includes many, big stable companies with a long history of solid earnings and dividends. Read More »

Its starting to become harder for individuals to invest in stocks. No, this does not mean that the actual process of buying stocks has become more difficult; there are just fewer stocks to actually invest in. There are a number of factors that explain why there has been a decline in the number of public companies to invest in, including mergers & acquisitions, diminishing IPOs, and tough economic conditions. Though on the surface this may not seem to be that bad for the average investor, this reality brings about a number of concerns for investors, and the economy as a whole. Read More »

Following the bursting of the housing bubble in 2007, many analysts and investors were scared off from investing in real estate. For years, this asset class was seen as a safe bet; it was presumed that housing prices would keep on rising with no end in sight. But alas, like any other investment, there was a downside and it eventually brought the economy to a halt. Now, there is a lot of chatter about the return of real estate as an attractive investment. Both institutional and individual investors are trying to get back into the real estate market to take advantage of burgeoning price appreciation and the possibility for rental income. However, this may not be the best strategy for small time investors. Read More »

Microsoft (MSFT) is a well-known tech giant that many investors love to hate. Revenue and profit growth have both clearly slowed down from the glory days when Bill Gates ran the company. Instead of one of the dominant names of the tech world, much of the discussion on Microsoft today revolves around how it has been left behind in the move to mobile devices and how management continues to fritter capital on projects with ill-defined return prospects like entertainment (video games) and internet services (search, etc.). Read More »

On January 18th, 2012, Dividend.com downgraded Verizon and AT&T from "Recommended" to "Neutral." After years of positive growth and attractive dividends, we believe these companies face serious challenges ahead that may limit share price and dividend growth. Read More »

On Sunday, January 27, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. held its annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view. This event, along with Wrestlemania, Summer Slam, and Survivor Series, is one of the "big four" live pay-per-view events produced by the company each year. Many analysts believe that there was a lot riding on this event as the company has faced some struggles over the past couple of years. With the stock hovering under $10 coupled with a host of financial and product/talent issues, it might be time to ask: is the WWE stock down for the count? Read More »

Global conglomerate General Electric (GE) is a staple of many dividend portfolios, as the company holds a vital presence across nearly every corner of the economy — along with the financial firepower to back its diversified businesses. Read More »

Industry bellwether AT&T (T) is a staple for many dividend portfolios as the company boasts a key presence in the telecom space, and it has the financial firepower to back it.This well-known Dallas-based giant provides wireless and wired telecommunications services in the United States and worldwide, making it the ideal candidate for income investors who value stability; the company also holds a spot in countless portfolios, mutual funds, and ETFs, as it belongs to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Furthermore, AT&T is highly regarded among dividend investors because it has consistently increased its distribution paid out to shareholders for 25 years. Read More »

While a consistent dividend history is nice, it doesn’t mean that a stock is necessarily a great purchase. Here are a handful of so-called “dividend aristocrats” that have fallen on hard times recently. Read More »

There is more to successful dividend investing than simply spotting high yields. Rather, the most successful dividend stock investments are those where the company’s underlying fundamentals continue to improve and where ongoing free cash flow growth can continue to support higher payouts. The following, then, are seven companies that have been uncommonly strong dividend growth stories over the past 25 years. Read More »

As Apple (AAPL) piled up billion after billion of dollars of excess cash in the bank, questions swirled about how the company would use that cash. Of course, we now know at least part of the answer — Apple re-initiated a dividend and will begin returning some of that cash to its shareholders through quarterly dividends and a multi-year, multi-billion dollar buyback program. Here are some essential facts to consider with the Apple dividend. Read More »

In general, big, well-known brand names and their underlying company owners throw off ample and steady cash flow. Hefty profit margins frequently result from the well-run firms, and also allow for equally generous dividend payouts to shareholders. However, a number of big brands pay dividends and probably shouldn’t be. Below are four that should consider cutting them altogether. Read More »

High yield dividend stocks can appear to be attractive investments, but many of them can be very risky.Some may seem to be a good investment at one point in time, but it is important to understand that factors for these seemingly high-yielding stocks, such as the size of the dividend, stock price, and dividend yield can change at any time. Read More »

Whether you buy dividend stocks for long-term income, or are trading the stock for a capital gain -- or both -- when you buy and when you sell matters. Even long-term investors can benefit from improving their trade timing. By utilizing technical support and resistance on your price charts you can better isolate your entry points, reducing the capital you invest; you still get the same dividend payments but you utilize less capital. That's capital you can invest elsewhere, perhaps in another dividend stock. Improving your timing doesn’t have to be difficult either. Using horizontal and diagonal support and resistance you quickly and easily see when prices are likely to stop falling or rising, respectively. Read More »

Google is one of the most well-known companies in the world. The company is up there with Apple and Facebook as the most talked-about tech stocks on a daily basis. When its third quarter financial report was erroneously released during mid-day trading last Thursday, it caused mini-market panic. It is obviously held in high esteem among investors and closely watched. However, Google is not a company that pays a dividend. Is it time for Google to finally start? Read More »

Investing in publicly traded hedge funds is a great way for an investor to see returns through capital appreciation and dividend payments in the financial sector. Read More »