My 3 Favorites of the 20 Most-Recommended Dividend Champions

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Dec 31, 2012
Dividend Champions are stocks with a history of dividend payments of more than 25 years in a row. Around 108 stocks have such a wonderful dividend growth history.

I love dividend stocks, dividend growth and consecutive dividend hikes. It gives me somehow the feeling that everything is all right. Not to forget, my trust in the company and the financial health is much higher if I see that the company shares its success with shareholders.

But not all dividend growth stocks are good investments. Past performance does not guarantee high future return, as you have seen by long-term dividend growth stock Avon Products. It cut quarterly dividend payments from 23 cents to 6 cents per share due to a bad operative performance and high debt burdens. These are all factors you need to observe when you buy a stock.

Today, I like to screen the current Dividend Champions recommendations by analysts and brokerage firms. I published the full results of the 20 most recommended A-Class dividend growth stocks on my blog. Five of the results have a yield over 3 percent and two have a strong buy rating.

Here are my favorite stocks:

Black Hills (BKH) has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion. The company employs 2,030 people, generates revenue of $1.272 billion and has a net income of $40.36 million. The firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $321.83 million. The EBITDA margin is 25.30 percent (the operating margin is 14.64 percent and the net profit margin 3.17 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 39.44 percent of the company’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 134.61 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 3.50 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $1.69. Last fiscal year, the company paid $1.46 in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 21.17, the P/S ratio is 1.24 and the P/B ratio is finally 1.30. The dividend yield amounts to 4.14 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 0.96.

Universal (UVV) has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion. The company employs 26,000 people, generates revenue of $2.446 billion and has a net income of $100.82 million. The firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $224.17 million. The EBITDA margin is 9.16 percent (the operating margin is 7.37 percent and the net profit margin 4.12 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 23.68 percent of the company’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 45.36 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 7.95 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $5.46. Last fiscal year, the company paid $1.94 in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 9.02, the P/S ratio is 0.47 and the P/B ratio is finally 1.18. The dividend yield amounts to 4.06 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 0.97.

Chevron (CVX) has a market capitalization of $208.34 billion. The company employs 61,000 people, generates revenue of $253.706 billion and has a net income of $27.01 billion. The firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $60.55 billion. The EBITDA margin is 23.86 percent (the operating margin is 18.78 percent and the net profit margin 10.65 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 4.85 percent of the company’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 8.36 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 23.75 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $12.19. Last fiscal year, the company paid $3.09 in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 8.73, the P/S ratio is 0.82 and the P/B ratio is finally 1.74. The dividend yield amounts to 3.38 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 0.80.

Take a closer look at the full list of the best to buy rated Dividend Champions. The average P/E ratio amounts to 16.98 and forward P/E ratio is 14.30. The dividend yield has a value of 2.36 percent. Price to book ratio is 2.75 and price to sales ratio 1.74. The operating margin amounts to 16.36 percent and the beta ratio is 1.01. Stocks from the list have an average debt to equity ratio of 0.67.

Related stock ticker symbols:

BKH, UVV, CVX, UGI, CTWS, KO, MSA, SJW, MDT, VFC, DOV, MHP, PNR, PPG, TNC, RAVN, CSL, EGN, HP, FUL

Selected Articles:

· 17 Of The Safest Dividend Champions With Acceptable P/E Ratios

· 12 Dividend Champions With Lowest Debt

· The 20 Best Yielding Dividend Champions

· 13 Cheap Dividend Champions By Growth

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Dividend Champions with buy ratings originally published at "long-term-investments.blogspot.com."