This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net March 28, 2011.
Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Microsoft Corporation (MSFT). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:
Company Description: Microsoft is the world’s largest software company, develops PC software, including the Windows operating system and the Office application suite.
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As dividend growth investors we understand the danger of focusing on high yield alone. Many, if not most, high yields are simply not sustainable over the long term. However, we often turn our heads to what can be an equally dangerous metric – high dividend growth rates. Like high yields, high dividend growth rates often are not sustainable. As a company grows and matures, incremental sales and earnings are harder to come by. So what is a good mix of yield and growth?
When selecting income investments, the three most important questions to answer are : 1.) Is the investment increasing its dividend each year, 2.) Is the increase likely to continue into the future and 3.) Are you being compensated for the risk you are taking? When you answer yes to all three of the questions, you just might have found an excellent income investment.
Dividend sustainability is paramount for the high-yield investor. Having a stock cut its dividend could potentially crush their income. A high-yield investor is less concerned about dividend growth than maintaining the current high-yield. Most traditional dividend growth stocks pay a moderate to low yield, thus sustainability is not enough – the dividend growth investor also expects substantial and consistent growth.
I was born in 1962 which puts me on the tail-end of the Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). We have been described by some as “the pig in the python.” Over the decades, the sheer size of our group has redefined many aspects of society. As we approach the tail of the python and look toward retirement, once again we have the government and others scrambling to figure out how to handle this aging and albeit disruptive force.
If income investing were as simple as picking the stock with the highest yield, everyone would be an expert. Most assume (rightfully so) that yield is heavily influenced by risk, but much more goes into determining yield. Below are several important factors that influence a stock’s yield, along with some illustrative examples:
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Most casual income investors focus on current yield, which is important. However, if your objective is to build a portfolio of securities with increasing income, then Yield on Cost is an excellent metric to measure your progress. Yield on Cost is simply the annual dividend rate times number of shares owned divided by what you paid for the investment (basis). As companies increase their dividend, your yield on cost goes up.
It is a well-documented fact that a significant portion of the historical equity returns are a result of reinvested dividends. In Triumph of the Optimists: 101 Years of Global Investment Returns (2002), the authors looked at equity returns from capital gains and dividends from 1900 to 2000. They determined that performance in any given year was driven by capital appreciation, but long-term returns were largely the result of reinvested dividends.
So far in 2009, the Dividend Aristocrats have under-performed the S&P 500. However there are several dividend stocks that have done quite well and beat the S&P 500 index, and some of those companies just might surprise you!
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