LONDON -- Utility firms�National Grid� (LSE: NG ) (NYSE: NGG ) and�Centrica� (LSE: CNA ) (NASDAQOTH: CPYYY ) have long been favored for investors for their generous dividends, but rising markets have pushed these companies' share prices up by around 25% over the last year.
Which share would make the better buy for a dividend portfolio?
National Grid vs. Centrica
I'm going to start with a look at a few key statistics that can be used to provide a quick comparison of these two companies, based on their last published results:
National Grid's share price lagged behind the FTSE 100 last year, due to uncertainty over whether the firm's dividend might be cut when new regulatory pricing controls came into force in April.
Top Forestry Companies To Buy Right Now: Northeast Utilities(NU)
Northeast Utilities, a public utility holding company, provides electric and natural gas energy delivery services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts. The company engages in the purchase, delivery, and sale of electricity; and owns and operates approximately 1,200 megawatts of primarily fossil-fueled electricity generation assets. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 1.2 million customers in 149 cities and towns in Connecticut; 497,000 retail customers in 211 cities and towns in New Hampshire; and 206,000 retail customers in 59 cities and towns in western Massachusetts. The company also operates a natural gas distribution system in Connecticut and serves approximately 206,000 customers in 71 cities and towns. It offers gas supply to commercial and industrial customers; and to residential customers for heating, hot water, and cooking needs, as well as provides gas transportation services t o commercial and industrial customers. In addition, the company offers electric transmission services. Northeast Utilities was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Public energy utility holding company Northeast Utilities (NU) raised its quarterly dividend 8.2% to 39.75 cents per share, payable on Mar. 31 to shareholders of record as of Mar. 3.
NU Dividend Yield: 3.67% - [By David Dittman]
The stock is trading well above our recommended buy-under target of 62, an indication that the market doesn’t see any debilitating Dan River problems. So it is effectively a hold at these levels.
If you have money to invest, focus on Northeast Utilities (NSYE: NU), Kinder Morgan Energy Partners and/or TransCanada Corp (TSX: TRP, NYSE: TRP).
Hot Dividend Companies For 2014: Himax Technologies Inc.(HIMX)
Himax Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, and markets semiconductors for flat panel displays. Its products include display drivers and timing controllers for various thin film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) panels, which are used in desktop monitors, notebook computers, televisions, and mobile handsets, as well as consumer electronics products comprising netbook computers, digital cameras, mobile gaming devices, portable DVD players, digital photo frame, and car navigation displays; and TFT-LCD television and monitor semiconductor solutions. The company also provides liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) products for palm-size mobile projectors; power management integrated circuits, which include drivers, amplifiers, DC to DC converters and other semiconductors; complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensors for camera-equipped mobile devices, such as mobile phones and notebook computers with a focus on lowlight image and video quality; and wafer level optics products. It serves TFT-LCD panel manufacturers, mobile device module manufacturers, and television makers. Himax Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alex Planes]
Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does Himax Technologies (NASDAQ: HIMX ) fit the bill? Let's take a look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.
- [By Jayson Derrick]
Himax (NASDAQ: HIMX) announced that it expects its first quarter revenue to be up 10.8 percent year over year to $194.6 million, ahead of the consensus estimate of $193.6 million. shares gained 3.56 percent, closing at $9.32.
- [By Ant贸nio Costa]
Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIMX) seems to be forming here a possible cup and handle formation ( The bigger white arc is the cup and the smaller white arc indicates the possible handle ). This is a typical bullish pattern and the stock price potential is on the upside. The stock must close above the neckline at 11.5 (White horizontal line ) on heavy volume in order to confirm the pattern.
Hot Dividend Companies 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 Teresa Rivas]
Shares of Chevron (CVX) were up 0.7% in recent trading, on the heels that it has reached a settlement with Brazilian prosecutors.
Chevron and Transocean (RIG) were named in the $20 billion lawsuit over a 2011 oil spill off the southeast coast of the country, and both parties are expected to sign off on the deal today, reports The Wall Street Journal. Criminal charges against executives have already been dropped.
The move comes at a delicate time for Brazil��hile many energy companies are eager to tap the nations resources and appetite, some criticized the government of overacting to the spill; the settlement should calm some ruffled feathers a month before the country will auction off rights to what ��s believed to be one of the largest oil fields ever discovered in deep ocean waters,��notes the Journal.
However, Transocean didn�� get any bump from the news, and was trading down 1.5% at recent check.� Both names have lagged the index in the past year: While the S&P 500 has gained nearly 15% in the last 12 months, Chevron is up 5.7% and Transocean is up just 1.7%.
Other oil majors like Exxon (XOM) and ConocoPhillips (COP) are also up today.
Update: Reuters is reporting that Chevron� is considering bid for stake in a Brazil offshore oil prospect (via Briefing.com).
- [By Matt Thalman]
Light Crude also lost today, as the price per barrel fell 2.37%. This is likely one reason why shares of Dow components�Chevron (NYSE: CVX ) and ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM ) ended the session lower. Chevron fell 0.84%, while Exxon fared slightly better, only losing 0.26% of its value.
- [By Dan Dzombak]
Today's Dow leader is Chevron (NYSE: CVX ) , up 1%. Chevron is benefiting from the relatively high price of oil around the world. The past few months have seen the spread between WTI crude and Brent crude finally close from the highs hit the past few years.
Hot Dividend Companies For 2014: Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM)
Kimco Realty Corporation is a publicly owned real estate investment trust. The firm engages in acquisitions, development, and management of neighborhood and community shopping centers. It also provides property management services relating to the management, leasing, operation, and maintenance of real estate properties. The firm primarily invests in real estate markets across the globe with a focus in North America. It also invests in operating properties. The firm also provides equity and mezzanine debt to developers and owners of commercial properties. It also makes secondary market investments including under performing mortgage loans, secured bank debt, and corporate securities. Kimco was formed in 1960 and is based in New Hyde Park, New York with additional office in Mesa, Arizona; Daly City, California; Granite Bay, California; Irvine, California; Carmichael, California; Vista, California; Walnut Creek, California; West Hartford, Connecticut; Largo, Florida; Margate, Florida; Sanford, Florida; Lisle, Illinois; Rosemont, Illinois; Columbia, Maryland; Lutherville, Maryland; Bellevue, Washington; Mesquite, Texas; Houston, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Austin, Texas; Ardmore, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Kettering, Ohio; Canfield, Ohio; Raleigh, North Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; New York, New York; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Shopping center REIT KIMCO Realty (NYSE: KIM ) announced yesterday that it sold to an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group its�InTown Suites company and related real estate assets for�$735 million, including $609 million of existing mortgage debt. Upon closing, KIMCO realized�approximately $103 million in proceeds.
Hot Dividend Companies For 2014: Eaton Corporation(ETN)
Eaton Corporation operates as a power management company worldwide. It provides electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution, and control; hydraulics components, systems, and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics, and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain, and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy, and safety. The company also manufactures screw-in cartridge valves, custom-engineered hydraulic valves, and manifold systems; and electrical and electromechanical systems. In addition, it designs, manufactures, and distributes intake and exhaust valves for diesel and gasoline engines; supplies electrical components for commercial and residential building applications and industrial controls for industrial equipment applications; and manufactures human machine interfaces, programmable logic controllers, and input/output devices. Further, the company also operates a s a provider of customized enclosures, rack systems, and air-flow management systems to store, power, and secure mission-critical IT data center electronics; and manufacturer, distributor, and service provider of single-phase and three-phase uninterruptible power supply systems. Eaton Corporation was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Shauna O'Brien]
On Monday, Morgan Stanley reported that it has raised its rating on power company Eaton Corporation (ETN).
The firm has upgraded ETN from “Neutral” to “Overweight,” and has given the stock a $76 price target. This price target suggests a 12% increase from the stock’s current price of $66.79.
Analysts expect to see EPS of $5 in 2014 and see favorable risk and reward.
Eaton shares were up $1.12, or 1.71%, during Monday morning trading. The stock is up 23% YTD.
- [By Eric Volkman]
Hewing to a long-standing tradition, Eaton (NYSE: ETN ) is continuing to hand out a dividend. The company has declared its latest distribution, which is to be $0.42 per share paid on Aug. 23 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 5. That amount matches both of the company's two preceding payouts, the most recent of which was dispensed at the end of May. Before that, Eaton paid $0.38 per share.�
Hot Dividend Companies For 2014: Cellcom Israel Ltd.(CEL)
Cellcom Israel Ltd. provides cellular communications services in Israel. It offers basic and advanced cellular telephone services, text and multimedia messaging services, and advanced cellular content and data services. The company?s basic cellular telephony services include voice mail, cellular fax, call waiting, call forwarding, caller identification, collect call, conference calling, ?Talk 2?, additional number services, and collect call services; and outbound and inbound roaming services. It also provides value-added services comprising Cellcom volume that includes downloadable content, such as music, games, on-net-reality programs, drama series, and video games; SMS and MMS services to send and receive text, photos, multimedia, and animation messages; access to third party application providers for notification of roadway speed detectors, mange vehicle fleets, and enable subscribers to manage and operate time clocks and various controllers for industrial, agricultural , and commercial purposes; video calls to communicate with each other through video applications; zone services for calls initiated from a specific location; location-based services; voice-based information services; text-based information services and interactive information services, including news headlines, sports results, and traffic and weather reports; and data services to access handsets, cellular modems, laptops, tablets, and cellular routers, as well as Internet based payment services. In addition, the company sells handsets, modems, routers, tablets, and laptops, as well as provides repair and replacement services; and offers landline telephony, transmission, and data services through its approximately 1,500 kilometers of inland fiber-optic infrastructure and complementary microwave links to selected business customers. As of March 31, 2011, it provided its services to approximately 3.395 million subscribers. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Netanya, Israel.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
Cellcom Israel (NYSE: CEL ) is getting a new CFO.
Following the company's successful merger with Netvision, current Chief Financial Officer Yaacov Heen is declaring his mission accomplished, and says he intends to resign his post on Sept. 17 after 16 years with the company. At that time, Cellcom says it will bring on Shlomi Fruhling, the former VP for strategy and finance at Netvision, to become the merged company's new CFO on Sept. 18.
Hot Dividend Companies For 2014: Spectra Energy Corp(SE)
Spectra Energy Corp, through its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership and operation of a portfolio of complementary natural gas-related energy assets in the United States and Canada. The company operates in four segments: U.S. Transmission, Distribution, Western Canada Transmission and Processing, and Field Services. The U.S. Transmission segment engages in the transportation and storage of natural gas for customers in various regions of the northeastern and southeastern United States and the Maritime Provinces in Canada. Its natural gas pipeline systems consist of approximately 19,000 miles of transmission pipelines; and storage capacity comprises 305 billion cubic feet in the United States and Canada. The Distribution segment engages in the natural gas storage, transmission, and distribution in Western Canada and the United States. This segment has approximately 37,600 miles of distribution main and service pipelines serving approximately 1.3 million residential, comme rcial, and industrial customers. The Western Canada Transmission and Processing segment provides natural gas transportation, and gas gathering and processing services; and provides services to natural gas producers to remove impurities from the raw gas stream including water, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other substances. This segment serves local distribution companies, end-use industrial and commercial customers, marketers, and exploration and production companies. The Field Services segment gathers and processes natural gas, as well as fractionates, markets, and trades natural gas liquids. It engages in gathering raw natural gas through gathering systems located in nine natural gas producing regions consisting of the Mid-Continent, Rocky Mountain, east Texas-north Louisiana, Barnett Shale, Gulf Coast, South Texas, Central Texas, Antrim Shale, and Permian Basin. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Natural gas asset and infrastructure company Spectra Energy (SE) raised its quarterly dividend 9.8% to 33.5 cents per share, payable March 10 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 14.
SE Stock Dividend Yield: 3.8% - [By Tom Rojas var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach(func]
Spectra Energy Corp.(SE) said its second-quarter profit fell 26%, reporting weaker-than-expected results as plant turnarounds dented revenue growth and increased costs.
- [By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of Spectra Energy (NYSE: SE ) climbed 10% today after announcing that it will drop down all U.S. transmission and storage assets to its publicly traded MLP, Spectra Energy Partners (NYSE: SEP ) .
- [By Rich Duprey]
The MLP was formed by Spectra Energy� (NYSE: SE ) , and owns interests in natural gas transportation and storage assets in�theU.S., including more than 3,500 miles of transmission and gathering pipelines and approximately 57 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage.
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