14 Stocks Taking Their Dividends Up A Notch

Throughout history there have always been great companies that stand head-and-shoulders above their peers and the competition. They are loved by their shareholders, hated by the competition and known by all. Just as all great companies have something in common, great dividend companies also have something in common. All great dividend companies have at least one characteristic in common – they consistently raise their dividends each year.

United Technologies Corp. (UTX) Dividend Stock Analysis

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of United Technologies Corp. (UTX). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: United Technologies Corp. is an aerospace-industrial conglomerate's portfolio includes Pratt & Whitney jet engines, Sikorsky helicopters, Otis elevators, and Carrier air conditioners, among other products. In July 2012, UTX purchased aerospace competitor Goodrich.

5 Stocks With A Strong Cash To Dividend Coverage

Dividends are not paid with sales, earnings, EPS, EBIT or EBITDA. Instead dividends are paid with cash. As an investor, you want to pay close attention to the cash flow statement. Unfortunately, it is probably the least used and most misunderstood statement.

Ultimately, cash flow is what drives the value of any financial asset. The reason analysts look at revenue, EPS, EBIT, EBITDA and margins, they are trying to estimate the level of cash the company will generate in the future.

McDonald's Corporation (MCD) Dividend Stock Analysis

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of McDonald's Corporation (MCD). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: McDonald's Corporation is the largest fast-food restaurant company in the world, with about 33,700 restaurants in 119 countries.

Weekly Links: February 10, 2013

Each Sunday I highlight the Carnivals I participated in over the past week, along with any notable articles that I came across. For those readers not familiar with carnivals, it's where personal finance bloggers submit their best articles of the week with one blog serving as the host. The entries are separated into various categories such as Investing, Credit, Debt, Budgeting, Frugality, Wealth Building, Money Management, Financial Planning, Insurance, Taxes, The Economy, Real Estate, et. al. Below are the carnivals that I participated in this week, along with a link to my article:

Dividend Income Progress Update - January 2013

Once again it is time for a goals/progress update. I am pleased to report that annualized dividend income increased in January, extending the streak to 31 consecutive months of increases after June 2010's decline. Since I began publicly tracking annualized dividend income in November 2007, it has increased in 60 of the last 62 months.

My goals were defined in this December 1, 2007 Investing Goals post and last updated in my 2013 Investing Goals post. Below is an updated version of the table found in the original post.