There was big news out of the market for dividend and income investors last week. Two of the bluest blue chips, Microsoft (MSFT) and McDonald's (MCD), both announced big dividend increases.
Microsoft pleased the Street with a 22% increase to its dividend, climbing to $1.12 annually that equates to a current yield of 3.4%. Microsoft also announced another $40 billion share buyback program to replace its existing $40 billion authorization that is set to expire on Sep 30. McDonalds announced a dividend increase of its own, raising its payout by 5% to 81 cents per share, lifting its current yield to 3.3%.
But that got me thinking: Which companies from the S&P 500 are the most shareholder friendly, with the biggest dividend increases in the last 5 years? Here is a list of the top 5 companies from the last 5 years with the biggest dividend increases.
Top 5 Defensive Stocks To Own For 2015: Apple Inc.(AAPL)
Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rick Munarriz]
Sirius XM slipped after Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) unveiled a streaming service and deeper iOS integration in cars. Higher mortgage rates may also be problematic for Sirius XM. Meanwhile, Pandora (NYSE: P ) made a surprising move that could lower its streaming royalties. But at the same time, the number of shares of Sirius XM sold short did decline slightly in the latest bimonthly report.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
www.workingadvantage.com Employees of governments and businesses large and small can often get employee discounts, on purchases as diverse as belly dancing classes and home mortgages. Better yet, their friends and family can frequently enjoy some of those discounts, too. In general, the larger the company, the more likely it offers these deals. For instance, Southwest Airlines (LUV) offers free flights to both workers and their families; friends get discounts. Many of the larger telecom companies, like Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T), have discounted service plans for employees of the government and large corporations. If you work for an insurance company or a bank, you might get discounts at Macy's (M) or on Apple (AAPL) or Dell computers. So if you have a friend or family member who works for a large entity, you might want to ask them to inquire with their human resources department about what employee discounts they -- and you -- might be entitled to. Join the Club But for variety and breadth of discounts, plus ease of access, the web is the way to go. Sites like corporateperks.com, workingadvantage.com, workplaceperks.com and corporateshopping.com can best be described as mashups of priceline.com (PCLN) and Groupon (GRPN). They offer discounts to some alumni, some students and members of many special interest clubs, societies and groups, such as AAA, Actors Equity and the Zoological Society of San Diego -- and, in some cases, their friends and family members. After finding out if a program is available to you, using it is fairly straightforward. Sign into the site with whatever identification is required, browse the list of merchants and add your purchases to the shopping cart. For example, CorporatePerks offers a Lenovo thinkpad that retails for $700 for $600; the 15 percent discount is roughly the amount of a Lenovo employee discount. WorkingAdvantage has a two-day ticket to Universal Florida for $165.99, a $30 discount from the standard price. Large
Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy For 2014: Chevron Corporation(CVX)
Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment involves in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as holds interest in a gas-to-liquids project. The Downstream segment engages in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products primarily under the Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names; transportation of crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car; and manufacture and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives. It a lso produces and markets coal and molybdenum; and holds interests in 13 power assets with a total operating capacity of approximately 3,100 megawatts, as well as involves in cash management and debt financing activities, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, and alternative fuels and technology business. Chevron Corporation has a joint venture agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corp. and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in May 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is based in San Ramon, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Kelley Wright]
Based on this criteria, here are our current Timely Ten selections:
Chevron Corp. (CVX)��ielding 3.3%
CVS Caremark (CVS)��ielding 1.6%
Coca-Cola (KO)��ielding 2.9%
Baxter International (BAX)��ielding 3.0%
Walgreen (WAG)��ielding 2.3%
McDonalds Corp. (MCD)��ielding 3.3%
PepsiCo (PEP)��ielding 2.8%
ExxonMobil (XOM)��ielding 2.9%
Occidental Petroleum (OXY)��ielding 2.7%
Wal-Mart Stores (WMT)��ielding 2.5%
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- [By David Smith]
Admittedly, Chevron (NYSE: CVX ) is partnering with Saudi Aramco in production efforts in the Partitioned Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. And oil-field services and technology kingpin Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB ) has planted major facilities in the country. But it seems that a more widespread use of western companies' capabilities could do wonders for Saudi reserves and production longevity.
- [By Jonathan Yates]
As to be expected, the share price has drifted down from the peak after the bullish activity. But long term investors should take note of the resources owned by Octagon 88. Canadian energy assets have drawn "Big Oil" from around the world such as CNOOC (NYSE: CEO) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX). In addition, Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU), a major oil firm based in Canada, has Warren Buffett gobbling up its shares.
- [By Casey Hoerth]
Chevron's (NYSE: CVX ) earnings declined by 27% year on year in the past quarter. Time to panic? Wall Street certainly doesn't think so: Shares actually ticked higher on Monday.
Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy For 2014: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)
Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight and the price target is now $68 (versus a $59.93 close) at Morgan Stanley.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Moreover, it's starting to appear that Clorox has weathered a tough part of its business cycle. Throughout the industry, Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG ) , Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL ) , and Clorox all had to deal with rising costs for the inputs they needed to make their respective products. The companies responded by implementing price-cutting measures and passing on part of their higher costs to their customers. For its part, Clorox was able to expand its gross margins by a full percentage point, with a worse-than-normal flu season contributing to sales. Now that input-cost inflation is easing, P&G and Clorox expect to see better profitability, with growth starting to approach the faster rates that Colgate has enjoyed.
- [By Travis Hoium]
Colgate-Palmolive
Toothpaste and toothbrushes may not be exciting business, but it's consistent and consumers tend to develop habits they rarely break. Once they find a toothpaste brand they like, it could be years before they try another one. That leads to another incredibly consistent business for Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL ) , one that has paid back investors with a dividend since 1895. �
Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy For 2014: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)
McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
Still, Chipotle has looked for ways to boost its growth even further. Plans to offer premium margaritas with Patron tequila could help drive further sales, although other food chains have had mixed results from premium beverages. McDonald's (NYSE: MCD ) , for instance, has seen a rise in customer complaints as waits in line for beverages have gotten longer.
- [By Matt Brownell]
Getty Images Not all is happy in McDonaldland. McDonald's reported its first-quarter earnings Friday morning, and while profit rose slightly, comparable-store sales in the U.S. fell 1.2%. Things were even worse abroad, with comparable sales in Asia, the Middle East and Africa falling 3.3%. In a statement accompanying the filing, McDonald's (MCD) CEO Don Thompson cited "global economic headwinds" and a "challenging eating-out environment." The poor sales don't come as a complete shock. While the company reported improved profits in the fourth quarter of 2012, it also saw sales decline in key foreign markets and dealt with a drop in operating profit margins. Though popular, the McRib barbecue sandwich can't solve all of the chain's problems. So in recent months, McDonald's has introduced Chicken McWraps in a bid to stimulate sagging sales. But franchisees recently complained that the sandwiches took too long to prepare. And the company is also confronting the fact that customer-service issues are rampant at its franchises: According to one report, McDonald's officials told franchisees that "service is broken." QSR Magazine, an industry trade publication, found that the average wait time at the McDonald's drive-through window was a full minute slower than at rival Wendy's (WEN). McDonald's stock dropped by more than 2 percentage points to $99.76 a share in pre-market trading.
Tucked away at the McDonald's C.O.B. — or Campus Office Building — is the test kitchen, where the fast food chain comes up with all sorts of products.
- [By James Brumley]
Earlier this year, McDonald’s (MCD) tiptoed into KFC’s territory — and even put Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) on notice — with the launch of its Mighty Wings chicken wings. Sales of the fried chicken wings have failed to take off as expected, though. As McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson (under)stated it, the wings’ price of $3.69 for five pieces was “not the most competitive.”
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