Wednesday, May 4, 2016

8 Select High-Yield S&P 500 Dividend Stocks

The S&P 500 Index is owned and maintained by Standard & Poor's, a division of McGraw-Hill. The index was first published in 1957 and is the second most recognized index in the U.S. behind only the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Stocks included in the S&P 500 are large publicly companies that trade on either the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ.

Most of the stocks are U.S. based companies. However, there are a few companies with headquarters in or incorporated outside of the U.S. For many investors, the S&P 500 represents the U.S. stock market and this index is used as a benchmark for many portfolios.

Not all stock in the index pay dividends, but many of the best known dividend growth stocks are part of the index. The dividend Aristocrats is a subset of the S&P 500 and is limited to stocks that have increased their dividend for 25 or more years.

This week week, I screened my dividend growth stocks database for stocks that are members of the S&P 500 and have a yield of 4.25% or more. The results are presented below:

Southern Company (SO) is an Atlanta-based energy holding company and is one of the largest producers of electricity in the U.S. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1948 and has increased its dividend payments for 14 consecutive years. Yield: 4.3%

People's United Financial Inc. (PBCT) provides a full range of banking and financial service products to individuals, corporations and municipal customers in the U.S. Northeast. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1993 and has increased its dividend payments for 19 consecutive years. Yield: 4.4%

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is the largest U.S. wireless carrier, Verizon also offers wireline and broadband services primarily in the northeastern U.S. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1984 and has increased its dividend payments for 12 consecutive years. Yield: 4.4%

AT&T Inc. (T) provides telephone and broadband service and holds full ownership of AT&T Mobility. T is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers™ Index and a Dividend Champion. Yield: 5.0%

Welltower Inc. (HCN) is a real estate investment trust that invests in health care facilities, including senior housing and specialty care, and medical office buildings. HCN is a member of the S&P 500 and a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers™ Index. Yield: 5.0%

Health Care Property Investors, Inc. (HCP) is a California based equity-oriented real estate investment trust that has direct or joint venture investments in health care-related facilities across the U.S. HCP is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers™ Index and a Dividend Champion. Yield: 6.8%

ONEOK, Inc. (OKE) is a an Oklahoma-based natural gas utility with substantial midstream operations through its 2% general partnership interest and large limited partnership interests in a master limited partnership. OKE is a member of the S&P 500 and a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers™ Index. Yield: 6.8%

Williams Companies Inc.'s (WMB) primary focus is to connect North America's hydrocarbon resource plays to growing markets for natural gas, NGLs and olefins. WMB is a member of the S&P 500 and a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers™ Index. Yield: 13.2%

As with past screens, the data presented above is in its raw form. Some of the the companies would be disqualified for poor dividend fundamentals. However some of the others may be worth additional due diligence.

My database, D4L-Data, is an Open Office spreadsheet containing more than 20 columns of information on the 250+ companies that I track. The data is sortable and has built-in buttons and macros to make it easy to use. Companies included in the list are those that have had a history of dividend growth. The D4L-Data spreadsheet is a part of D4L-Premium Services and is updated each Saturday for subscribers.

Full Disclosure: Long SO, PBCT, VZ, T, HCP. See a list of all my Dividend Growth Portfolio holdings here.

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- Three Keys For Successful Dividend Growth Investing

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Tags: SO, PBCT, VZ, T, HCN, HCP, OKE, WMB,