Dividend Aristocrats constituents exhibit the following characteristics:

• Underlying Indices – S&P 500
• Weighting – Equally weighted; Constituents re-weighted quarterly
• Reconstitution – Reviewed annually in December

Among others, Dividend Aristocrats include these highly recognizable names, with years of consecutive dividend increases shown:

• Clorox Co (CLX) – 32 years
• Coca-Cola Co (KO) – 47 years – [Analysis]
• Exxon (XOM) – 27 years
• Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) – 47 years – [Analysis]
• McDonald’s Corp (MCD) – 33 years – [Analysis]
• Procter & Gamble (PG) – 53 years – [Analysis]
• Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) -35 years – [Analysis]

Members may be deleted during the December rebalance if calendar-year dividends did not increase from the previous year, or intra-year if the stock is removed from the underlying S&P 500.

On December 4th, S&P announced changes to the Dividend Aristocrats Index. Standard & Poor’s will perform the annual reconstitution of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index after the close of trading on Friday, December 18, 2009.

The following stocks will be added to the Dividend Aristocrats:

• Brown-Forman Corporation (BF.B)
• Cintas Corp. (CTAS)

The following stocks will be dropped from the Dividend Aristocrats:

• Avery Dennison Corporation (AVY)
• BB&T Corp. (BBT)
• Gannett Co., Inc. (GCI)
• General Electric Co. (GE)
• Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI)
• Legg Mason Inc. (LM)
• M&T Bank Corp. (MTB)
• Pfizer Inc. (PFE)
• State Street Corp. (STT)
• US Bancorp (USB)

As the number of drops vs. adds indicates, the last two years were difficult for dividend stocks, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  During good times it is easy for companies to increase dividends, and many companies were added to the index. It is during times of adversity that we learn who the real aristocrats are.

Full Disclosure: Long CLX, KO, JNJ, MCD, PG, WMT. See a list of all my income holdings here.

(Photo Credit)

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Legg Mason, Inc. (LM). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Legg Mason, Inc. is a diversified investment manager serving individual and institutional investors through offices around the United States.

Fair Value: I consider four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:

1. Avg. High Yield Price
2. 20-Year DCF Price
3. Avg. P/E Price
4. Graham Number

LM is trading at a discount to 1.) and 2.) above. Since LM’s tangible book value is not meaningful, a Graham number can not be calculated. If I exclude the high and low valuations and average the remaining two, LM is trading at a 22.8% discount. LM earned a Star in this section since it is trading at a fair value.

Dividend Analytical Data: In this section I consider five factors, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:

1. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15%
2. Dividend Growth Rate
3. Years of Div. Growth
4. 1-Yr. > 5-Yr Growth
5. Payout 15% of avg.

LM earned three Stars in this section for 1.), 2.) and 3.) above. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15% means that dividends grew on average in excess of 15% for each consecutive 4 year period over the last 10 years (1999-2002, 2000-2003, 2001-2004, etc.) I consider this a key metric since dividends will double every 5 years if they grow by 15%. LM has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1983 and has increased its dividend payments for 27 consecutive years. Last year’s dividend payout was 44%, up from 15% in 2007. Since the increase was in excess of 15 points, a Star is deducted, leaving a net of two Stars in this section.

Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA)? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:

1. NPV MMA Diff.
2. Years to >MMA

LM earned both of the available Stars in this section. The NPV MMA Diff. of the $239,028 is in excess of the $2,500 minimum I look for in a stock that has increased dividends as long as LM has. LM’s current yield of 4.64% exceeds the 3.45% estimated 20-year average MMA rate.

Other: LM is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat and a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers™ Index. The company has a strong market share and boasts an impressive historic investment performance. However, recent under performance in some of LM’s flagship funds may have resulted in increased client redemptions. That combined with struggling equity markets, have resulted in sharply lower asset balances. Risks include industry cyclicality, acquisition integration further market declines and poor investment performance.

Conclusion: LM earned one Star in the Fair Value section, earned two Stars in the Dividend Analytical Data section and earned two Stars in the Dividend Income vs. MMA section for a net total of five Stars. This quantitatively ranks LM as a 5 Star-Strong Buy.

Using my D4L-PreScreen.xls model, I determined the share price could increase to $85.88 before CFR’s NPV MMA Differential fell to the $3,000 that I like to see. At that price the stock would yield 1.12%.

Resetting the D4L-PreScreen.xls model and solving for the dividend growth rate needed to generate the needed $3,000 NPV MMA Differential, the calculated rate is 0.5%. This dividend growth rate is substantially below the 20.0% used in this analysis.

LM has not increased its dividend since June 2007 and runs the risk of losing its status as a Dividend Aristocrat. Before initiating a position, I would wait and determine LM’s dividend policy going forward. LM’s buy price is $27.26. For additional information, including LM’s dividend history, please refer to its data page.

Disclaimer: Material presented here is for informational purposes only. The above quantitative stock analysis, including the Star rating, is mechanically calculated and is based on historical information. The analysis assumes the stock will perform in the future as it has in the past. This is generally never true. Before buying or selling any stock you should do your own research and reach your own conclusion. See my Disclaimer for more information.

Full Disclosure: At the time of this writing, I held no position in LM (0.0% of my Income Portfolio) .

What are your thoughts on LM?

Quantitative Stock Analysis: Updated: 1-17-2009
LM-Analysis.PDF

Share Data:

Click here for full page view.
Click the Dividends tab above to see historical dividend information.

Comments: Updated: 1-17-2009
The company has a strong market share and boasts an impressive historic investment performance. However, recent under performance in some of LM’s flagship funds may have resulted in increased client redemptions. That combined with struggling equity markets, have resulted in sharply lower asset balances. Risks include industry cyclicality, acquisition integration further market declines and poor investment performance.
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