Source: thinkstockJanuary 8, 2014:
DJIA was -70.71 at 16,460.23 (unofficial close)
S&P 500 was -0.42 at 1,837.46 (unofficial close)
The markets had to deal with an FOMC Minutes report and the first ten-year Treasury auction of the year on Wednesday. Neither were disasters, but neither went great either. Investors are still taking profits after a stellar 2013, seen by triple digit losses earlier in the day on the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Wednesday.
24/7 Wall St. is looking at the top market-moving stocks today.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) was down 2.4% at $34.12 right before the close of trading on Wednesday. More concerns about price wars and customer defections are pressuring the telecom giant. Its dividend well above 5% may be king of the Dow, but AT&T shares were down by 2.3% in late trading at $34.15. This�had AT&T as the worst performer of the Dow today.
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Paychex Inc.(PAYX)
Paychex Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small-to medium-sized businesses in the United States and Germany. It offers payroll processing services, including calculation, preparation, and delivery of employee payroll checks; production of internal accounting records and management reports; preparation of federal, state, and local payroll tax returns; and collection and remittance of clients? payroll obligations. The company also provides payroll tax administration services; employee payment services; and regulatory compliance services, such as new-hire reporting and garnishment processing. Its human resource outsourcing services include payroll, employer compliance, human resource and employee benefits administration, risk management outsourcing, and the on-site availability of a professionally trained human resource representative, as well as provides employee handbooks, management manuals, and r equired regulatory forms. In addition, the company offers retirement services administration; workers? compensation; business-owner policies; commercial auto; and health and benefits coverage, including health, dental, vision, and life. Further, it provides online human resource administration software products for employee benefits management and administration, and time and attendance solutions. As of May 31, 2010, the company served approximately 536,000 clients in the United States; and 1,700 clients in Germany. Paychex, Inc. was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Rochester, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Chris Hill]
In this installment, Jason and Matt explain why they're keeping a close watch on shares of Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX ) and Nike (NYSE: NKE ) .
- [By Rich Smith]
ADP stock is worse than average
ADP shares have been on a bit of a tear these past 12 months, outperforming not just the S&P 500 in general, but also rivals Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX ) and Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU ) in particular. It's a bit of a mystery, however, understanding why investors like ADP stock so much. - [By Jonathan Yates]
For those looking to invest in real estate stocks, highly recommended is the Dr. Housing Bubble blog. In a recent posting, the "Dr." pointed out that there was a "Lost Generation" when it came to household income. That has not happened for those investing in staffing industry stocks such as Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI), TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE: TBI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: CenturyLink Inc.(CTL)
CenturyLink, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated communications company. The company provides a range of communications services, including voice, Internet, data, and video services in the continental United States. Its services include local exchange and long distance voice telephone services, as well as enhanced voice services, such as call forwarding, caller identification, conference calling, voicemail, selective call ringing, and call waiting; wholesale local network access services; and data services, including high-speed Internet access services, data transmission services over special circuits and private lines, and switched digital television services, as well as special access and private line services. The company also offers fiber transport, competitive local exchange carrier, security monitoring, and other communications, as well as professional and business information services. In addition, it provides other related services, such as leasing, selling, installing, and maintaining customer premise telecommunications equipment and wiring; payphone services; and network database services, as well as participates in the publication of local telephone directories. Further, the company offers printing, direct mail services, and cable television services; and wireless broadband Internet access services and satellite television services. As of December 31, 2010, it operated approximately 6.5 million telephone access lines. CenturyLink, Inc was founded in 1968 and is based in Monroe, Louisiana.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Selena Maranjian]
Douglas C. Lane reduced its stake in lots of companies, including telecom company CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL ) . The company sports a tempting 6% dividend yield, and that's after it cut its payout by about 25%, in part to focus more on share buybacks. The company landed a hefty Pentagon contract in April, with a possible 10-year value of $750 million and has been moving into promising arenas such as cloud computing (via its purchase of SAVVIS). CenturyLink carries more than $19 billion in debt, but it's also generating significant free cash flow, near $3 billion annually. Its revenue growth has been accelerating in recent years and has long been in double digits annually.
Best Industrial Disributor Stocks To Buy Right Now: H&R Block Inc. (HRB)
H&R Block, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides tax preparation, retail banking, and various business advisory and consulting services. It operates in three segments: Tax Services, Business Services, and Corporate. The Tax Services segment offers H&R Block At Home, an income tax preparation software, as well as a range of online tax services, including tax advice, professional and do-it-yourself tax return preparation, and electronic filing services through its Web site at hrblock.com primarily in the United States, Canada, and Australia. This segment also provides the H&R Block Prepaid Emerald MasterCard and Emerald Advance lines of credit through H&R Block Bank, as well as other retail banking services, including checking and savings accounts, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit; and sells refund anticipation loans and refund anticipation checks offered by third-party lending institutions, as well as offers income tax return preparation course s to the public. The Business Services segment provides tax and consulting services, wealth management, and capital markets services to middle-market companies. The Corporate segment engages in various operations, which include interest income from the United States passive investments, interest expense on borrowings, net interest margin and gains or losses relating to mortgage loans held for investment, real estate owned, residual interests in securitizations and other corporate expenses principally related to finance, legal, and other support departments. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
On Wednesday, H&R Block (NYSE: HRB ) will release its latest quarterly results. With the tax-preparation giant doing most of its business between early February and mid-April, this quarter is always the most important one for the company, and investors already have high expectations for the company.
- [By Ben Rooney]
In corporate news, shares of H&R Block (HRB) jumped after the company said it will sell its bank to Bofl Federal Bank. Shares of retailer GAP (GPS, Fortune 500) slid when the company said sales fell in March.
- [By John Divine]
Just after the craziness of tax season, you might expect H&R Block (NYSE: HRB ) shares to be doing just fine. Instead, its stock slipped 2.5% after investors showed serious concerns with the number of tax returns the company has prepared this year. Flat year-over-year returns means H&R Block hasn't shown it can take market shares from ambitious and prevalent competition.
- [By Sue Chang and William L. Watts]
Shares of H&R Block Inc. (HRB) �climbed 4%. H&R Block�� stock has been on a steady rise in recent days, in part because of a belief that its business will be bolstered by people who are required to file tax returns to receive a government subsidy for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: PPL Corporation(PPL)
PPL Corporation, an energy and utility holding company, generates and sells electricity; and delivers natural gas to approximately 5.3 million utility customers primarily in the northeastern and northwestern U.S. The company operates in four segments: Kentucky Regulated, International Regulated, Pennsylvania Regulated, and Supply. The Kentucky Regulated segment engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity; and the distribution and sale of natural gas to approximately 1.3 million customers in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. The International Regulated segment owns and operates electricity distribution businesses in the United Kingdom that deliver electricity to 7.7 million customers. The Pennsylvania Regulated segment delivers electricity to approximately 1.4 million customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania. The Supply segment owns and operates power plants to generate electricity using coal, uranium, natural gas, oil, and water res ources; markets and trades electricity and other purchased power to wholesale and retail markets; and acquires and develops domestic generation projects. It controls or owns a portfolio of generation assets of approximately 11,000 megawatts in Montana and Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s distribution system included 649 substations with a capacity of 25 million kVA, 28,838 circuit miles of overhead lines, and 24,131 cable miles of underground conductors in the United Kingdom. It also operated 377 substations with a capacity of 31 million kVA, 33,122 circuit miles of overhead lines, and 7,368 cable miles of underground conductors in Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Justin Loiseau]
Since 2008, sales have fallen nearly 20%, while diluted EPS is down 83%. Southern, a slightly larger company, has seen sales drop 3% while diluted EPS headed 19% higher. PP&L (NYSE: PPL ) , a slightly smaller utility than Dominion, has managed to boost revenue over 50%, but diluted EPS is just 5% above its 2008 level.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
In trading on Wednesday, utilities shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.46 percent. Top gainers in the sector included PPL (NYSE: PPL), Empresa Distribuidora y Comercializadora Norte SA (NYSE: EDN), and Pampa Energia SA (NYSE: PAM). Telecommunications services sector was the top decliner in the US market on Wednesday. - [By Marc Bastow]
Energy and utility holding company PPL (PPL) raised its quarterly dividend 1% to 37.25 cents per share, payable on Apr. 1 to shareholders of record as of Mar. 10.
PPL Dividend Yield: 4.86% - [By Dan Caplinger]
Pennsylvania-based electric utility PPL (NYSE: PPL ) found itself in the path of one of the most devastating storms in history last year, as Hurricane Sandy barreled into the mid-Atlantic and left billions of dollars in damage in its wake. Although PPL stock didn't suffer a long-term hit from the storm, the utility now faces a much different threat from rising interest rates that could eventually have a major impact on its financing costs. Let's take a look at what's been happening with PPL in the recent past and how it's responding to this new threat.
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: The Cushing MLP Total Return Fund(SRV)
Cushing MLP Total Return Fund is a closed-end mutual fund launched by Swank Capital, LLC. The fund is managed by Swank Energy Income Advisors L.P. It invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe with a focus in United States. The fund typically invests in MLPs, Other Natural Resource Companies, and global commodities. It primarily invests in the securities of MLPs, other equity securities, debt securities, and securities of non-U.S. issuers employing a fundamental analysis. Cushing MLP Total Return Fund was formed on May 23, 2007 and is domiciled in Dallas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Robert Rapier]
As I write this, Tortoise Pipeline and Energy (NYSE: TTP) trades at a discount of 15.1 percent to its underlying assets, while at the other end of the spectrum Cushing MLP Total Return Fund (NYSE: SRV) trades at a 17.4 percent premium. The average MLP closed-end fund listed trades at a 4.9 percent discount, which is perhaps reasonable given the loss of certain tax advantages and the fact that management fees will eat into returns.
- [By Robert Rapier]
As I write this, Tortoise Pipeline and Energy (NYSE: TTP) trades at a discount of 15.1 percent to its underlying assets, while at the other end of the spectrum Cushing MLP Total Return Fund (NYSE: SRV) trades at a 17.4 percent premium. The average MLP closed-end fund listed trades at a 4.9 percent discount, which is perhaps reasonable given the loss of certain tax advantages and the fact that management fees will eat into returns.
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: ConAgra Foods Inc.(CAG)
ConAgra Foods, Inc. operates as a food company primarily in North America. It operates in two segments, Consumer Foods and Commercial Foods. The Consumer Foods segment provides branded, private label, and customized food products, which are sold in various retail and foodservice channels. It offers products in various categories, such as meals, entrees, condiments, sides, snacks, and desserts in frozen, refrigerated, and shelf-stable temperature classes. This segment?s principal brands include Alexia, ACT II, Banquet, Blue Bonnet, Chef Boyardee, DAVID, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt?s, Marie Callender?s, Orville Redenbacher?s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack, Swiss Miss, Van Camp?s, and Wesson. The Commercial Foods segment provides commercially branded foods and ingredients that are sold to foodservice, food manufacturing, and industrial customers. Its primary products consist of specialty potato products, milled grain ingredients, a ran ge of vegetable products, seasonings, blends, and flavors. This segment sells products under brands, such as ConAgra Mills, Lamb Weston, and Spicetec Flavors & Seasonings. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Get ready for rotten food stocks today. Dean Foods (DF) has fallen 11% to $13.50 after it met earnings expectations but said the first quarter of 2014 would be “difficult.” Annie’s (BNNY), meanwhile, has dropped 8.7% to $38.19 after it missed earnings forecasts and offered a disappointing 2014 outlook. ConAgra Foods (CAG) has declined 5.5% to $29.35, after it too cut its full year guidance.
- [By Rich Smith]
A few weeks back, I made the argument for why General Mills (NYSE: GIS ) stock offers investors a pretty compelling bargain -- based on the stock's valuation, and relative to a couple of its larger rivals. Whether you value the stock on its GAAP earnings, its actual free cash flow ("cash profit"), or even on the size of its dividend yield, General Mills stock is cheaper, and pays you better, than do the stocks of either Kellogg (NYSE: K ) or ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG ) .
- [By Lee Samaha]
It's been a pretty dismal summer for investors in ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG ) , with the stock currently down 18% from its high at the start of August. Essentially, the market got a little bit too excited by the company's purchase of private-label food manufacturer Ralcorp.
- [By Louis Navellier]
Welcome to the Stock of the Day. Before the opening bell Thursday, ConAgra Foods (CAG) shares rose after it reported surprisingly strong third-quarter earnings. Does this signal a turnaround for ConAgra, which has struggled in the increasingly competitive food industry?
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: S&P GSCI(GD)
General Dynamics Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions; military and commercial shipbuilding; and communications and information technology products and services worldwide. Its Aerospace group designs, manufactures, and outfits various large and mid-cabin business-jet aircraft; provides maintenance, repair work, fixed-based operations, and aircraft management services; and performs aircraft completions for aircraft. The company?s Combat Systems group offers tracked and wheeled military vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions. Its product lines include wheeled combat and tactical vehicles; battle tanks and infantry vehicles; munitions and propellant; rockets and gun systems; and axle and drivetrain components and aftermarket parts. This group also manufactures and supplies engineered axles, suspensions, and brakes for heavy-load vehicles for military and commercial customers. The company Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) is down the least of defense stocks with a late-Tuesday drop of 1.4% at $83.08 against a 52-week trading range of $61.70 to $87.85. According to Thomson Reuters, its consensus analyst target is $95.80.
- [By Rich Smith]
The Department of Defense issued $1.3 billion worth of new contract awards Friday. However, a single, $950 million award for engineering services accounted for the bulk of the spending -- and that one went to a series of privately held companies. Publicly traded names fared less well. Among the few winners:
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Public Storage(PSA)
Public Storage operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). It engages in the acquisition, development, ownership, and operation of self-storage facilities in the United States and Europe. The company?s self-storage facilities offer storage spaces for lease on a month-to-month basis for personal and business use. Public Storage also has interests in commercial properties containing commercial and industrial rental space; facilities that lease storage containers; and ancillary operations, which include reinsurance of policies against losses to goods stored by its self-storage tenants, retail operations comprising merchandise sales and truck rental operations. As of December 31, 2008, the company had interests in 2,012 self-storage facilities with approximately 127 million net rentable square feet in 38 states; and 181 self-storage facilities with approximately 10 million net rentable square feet in 7 western European nations. It also had direct and indirect equity int erests in approximately 21 million net rentable square feet of commercial space located in 11 states in the U.S. As a REIT, the company would not be subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. Public Storage was founded in 1971 and is based in Glendale, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Amanda Alix]
Is it risky to be putting so much money into an as-yet unproven business model? Some may think so, including investors. Noting the tumble in stock price that newbies like Silver Bay and American Residential have suffered recently, Colony Capital (NYSE: CLNY ) chief Thomas Barrack postponed�the IPO of his new single-family rental company, Colony American Homes. Similarly, Public Storage (NYSE: PSA ) has filed for an IPO, too, hoping to take its American Homes 4 Rent unit public -- at some unannounced, future date. In the meantime, American Homes can rely on its $500 million credit facility�with Wells Fargo, which may be bumped up to $1 billion if necessary.
- [By Lawrence Meyers]
I also like both Public Storage (PSA) and its Series T preferred stock.
As a result of the financial crisis, many people lost their homes. What happens when people get evicted from a house? They downsize. That�� one reason we��e seen apartment REIT stock prices appreciate, but that�� also why Public Storage has done so well. You can�� fit a household�� worth of stuff into an apartment, so you rent storage for all those extra-large sofas. Housing remains troubled, and with people increasingly being moved into part-time jobs or leaving the workforce, this overall secular trend is continuing.
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Telular Corporation(WRLS)
Telular Corporation designs, develops, and distributes products and services that utilize wireless networks to provide data and voice connectivity among people and machines primarily in the United States and internationally. It provides machine-to-machine and event monitoring services, including Telguard that comprises a specialized terminal unit, which interfaces with commercial security control panels and communicates with event processing servers to provide real-time transport of alarm signals from residential and commercial locations to an alarm company?s central monitoring station; and TankLink solution that combines a cellular communicator, wireless data services, and a Web-based application into a single offering, which allows end-users to monitor the product level in a given tank vessel. The company also offers fixed cellular terminals for voice, fax, and Internet access over the wireless networks. It sells its products to security equipment distributors, cellular carriers, and value added resellers. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
Telular (NASDAQ: WRLS ) will most likely soon be an asset belonging to another company. It has entered into an agreement to be bought by private equity firm Avista Capital Partners for total consideration of $253 million. This consists of $12.61 per share in cash and roughly $18.5 million in assumed debt.
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