Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014

Agency mortgage real estate investment trust�Capstead Mortgage (NYSE: CMO  ) announced this morning�its second-quarter dividend of $0.31�per share, the same rate it paid last quarter.

The board of directors said the quarterly dividend is payable on July 19 to the holders of record at the close of business on June 28. The mREIT has made payouts to investors since 1990.

The board also announced an initial dividend of $0.32292 per share on the mREIT's 7.50% Series E cumulative redeemable preferred stock that trades on the NYSE under the symbol CMOPRE for the period between May 13 through July 14. The payout will be payable on July 15 to the holders of record on June 28.

The regular dividend payment equates to a $1.24-per-share annual dividend, yielding 9.9% based on the closing price of Capstead Mortgage's stock on June 12.

Capstead invests in mortgages issued and guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as government agencies like Ginnie Mae.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: DTE Energy Company(DTE)

DTE Energy Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in Michigan. It also involves in non-utility operations. The company?s Energy Utility segment engages in the generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity in southeastern Michigan. It generates electricity from various fuels, including coal, as well as from nuclear and hydro facilitates. As of December 31, 2010, this segment owned and operated approximately 674 distribution substations and approximately 412,100 line transformers; and supplied electricity to 2.1 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southeastern Michigan. The company?s Gas Utility segment engages in the purchase, storage, transmission, distribution, and sale of natural gas in Michigan. As of December 31, 2010, this segment?s distribution system included approximately 19,000 miles of distribution mains, 1,036,000 service lines, and 1,319,000 active meters. It also o wned approximately 2,000 miles of transmission lines that deliver natural gas; and supplied natural gas to approximately 1.2 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout Michigan, as well as to approximately 17,000 customers in Adrian, Michigan. The company?s non-utility operations include natural gas pipelines and storage; unconventional gas exploration, development, and production; power and industrial projects, and coal transportation and marketing; and energy marketing and trading operations. Its customers include electric utilities, merchant power producers, integrated steel mills, and industrial companies. DTE Energy Company was founded in 1995 and is based in Detroit, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) slipped 1.4 percent to 9.21 euros. Europe�� second-largest telephone company traded without the right to a dividend today.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE  ) is going to make its shareholders a little richer. The company has declared a dividend of $0.655 per share of its common stock. This will be dispensed on July 15 to shareholders of record as of June 17.�This amount is almost 6% higher than the previous quarterly payout of $0.62, which was handed out in mid-April.

• [By John Udovich]

  Meanwhile, Plug Power Inc was formed in 1997 as a joint venture of Michigan utility owner DTE Energy Co (NYSE: DTE) and Mechanical Technology Inc (OTCMKTS: MKTY) to develop fuel-cell systems to power homes and small businesses. Plug Power Inc says it has�revolutionized the material handling industry with cost-effective power solutions that increase productivity, lower operating costs and reduce carbon footprints as�it manufactures a full suite of products designed to fit seamlessly into the existing battery compartment of all major OEM material handling equipment. The company also says that�its GenDrive fuel cell is a superior alternative to lead-acid batteries for electric lift trucks in the $20 billion�global material handling market.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: Torch Energy Royalty Trust(TRU)

Torch Energy Royalty Trust, a grantor trust, holds net profits interests, to receive payments from the working interest owners. Its working interest owners include Torch Royalty Company, Torch E&P Company, Samson Lone Star Limited Partnership, and Constellation Energy Partners LLC. The trust is entitled to receive 95% of the net proceeds attributable to oil and natural gas produced and sold from wells on the underlying properties, including Chalkley Field in Louisiana; the Robinson?s Bend Field in the Black Warrior Basin in Alabama; Cotton Valley Fields in Texas; and Austin Chalk Fields in central Texas. Torch Energy Royalty Trust was founded in 1993 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.

Top Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014: Sempra Energy(SRE)

Sempra Energy, together with its subsidiaries, develops new energy infrastructure, operates utilities, and provides energy-related products and services worldwide. It operates in six segments: SDG&E, SoCalGas, Sempra Generation, Sempra Pipelines & Storage, Sempra LNG (liquefied natural gas), and Sempra Commodities. The SDG&E segment has electric and natural gas franchises that locate, operate, and maintain facilities for the transmission and distribution of electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, street and highway lighting, and direct access customers. The SoCalGas segment has natural gas franchises that locate, operate, and maintain facilities for the transmission and distribution of natural gas to electric generation, wholesale, large commercial, industrial, and enhanced oil recovery customers. The Sempra Generation segment involves in the generation and wholesale distribution of electricity through a fleet of natural gas-fired power generati on facilities in Arizona, Nevada, and Indiana, as well as Mexico with a total capacity of 2,513 megawatts. The Sempra Pipelines & Storage segment operates 1,883 miles of distribution pipelines, 224 miles of transmission pipelines, and 3 compressor stations in Mexico; operates Mobile Gas, a natural gas distribution utility located in Mobile and Baldwin counties in Alabama; and operates natural gas storage facilities in Washington County of Alabama and Simpson County of Mississippi. The Sempra LNG segment involves in the receipt, storage, and vaporization of LNG, as well as the purchase and sale of natural gas. It operates Energia Costa Azul LNG receipt terminal in Baja California, Mexico, as well as Cameron LNG receipt terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. The Sempra Commodities segment engages in the commodities-marketing business. Sempra Energy has operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered i n San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Dittman]

  PG&E Corp (NYSE: PCG), Edison International (NYSE: EIX) and Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) are the parent entities of California’s investor-owned utilities.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  According to the press release, Southern's newest solar farm will be built, operated, and maintained by First Solar. Generated electricity is slotted for Sempra Energy's (NYSE: SRE  ) San Diego Gas & Electric Company through a 20-year power purchase agreement.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Sempra�Energy (NYSE: SRE) was started as Buy at KeyBanc Capital Markets.

  Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) was downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at William Blair and downgraded to Buy from Strong Buy by ISI Group. Janney Capital also downgraded it to Neutral from Buy, and Credit Suisse lowered its 2013 earnings estimates.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: CPFL Energia S.A.(CPL)

CPFL Energia S.A., through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, distribution, and sale of electricity in Brazil. It generates electricity through hydroelectric, thermal, biomass, and wind power plants. The company also involves in the provision of energy commercialization, consultancy, and advisory services to agents in the energy sector; manufacture, commercialization, rental, and maintenance of electromechanical equipment; and provision of administrative services, as well as telephone answering services. It has an installed generating capacity of 2,309 MW. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Brazilian electricity giant CPFL Energia S.A. (NYSE: CPL  ) sank 20%, and recently yielded 5.9%. Its long-term debt has been rising, largely due to acquisitions, and its free cash flow has been shrinking (and even turning negative�recently). But it has been investing heavily in alternative energies, and it serves a massive and growing market in Brazil. The country's growth has been slower than many would like, but that won't last forever.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: Lexington Realty Trust (LXP)

Lexington Corporate Properties Trust operates as a self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). The company acquires, owns, and manages a portfolio of office, industrial, and retail properties net-leased to corporate tenants in the United States. It also provides investment advisory and asset management services to institutional investors in the net lease area. As of June 30, 2005, the company operated 185 properties and managed 2 properties. Lexington Corporate Properties Trust has elected to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it would not be taxed on the portion of its income, which is distributed to shareholders, provided it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in New York City.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Lexington Realty Trust (NYSE: LXP  ) is acting like a relaxed landlord that doesn't want or need to modify the rent. The company is maintaining its dividend policy by declaring a $0.15-per-share distribution for its current quarter, to be paid on or about July 15 to shareholders of record as of June 28. That amount matches the firm's previous three distributions, the most recent of which was paid in April. Prior to that, the real estate investment trust dispensed $0.125 per share.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: Sysco Corporation(SYY)

Sysco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, distributes food and related products primarily to the foodservice or food-away-from-home industry in North America and Europe. The company offers a line of frozen foods, such as meats, fully prepared entrees, fruits, vegetables, and desserts; a line of canned and dry foods; fresh meats, custom-cut fresh steaks, other meat, seafood, and poultry; dairy products; beverage products; imported specialties; and fresh produce. It also supplies various non-food items, including paper products, such as disposable napkins, plates, and cups; tableware, which include china and silverware; cookware comprising pots, pans, and utensils; restaurant and kitchen equipment and supplies; and cleaning supplies. In addition, the company offers personal care guest amenities, equipment, housekeeping supplies, room accessories, and textiles to the lodging industry. It serves restaurants, hospitals and nursing homes, schools and colleges, hotels and mote ls, lodging establishments, and other foodservice customers. Sysco Corporation was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Sysco (SYY) doesn’t move look this. Really, it doesn’t.

  Sysco’s shares have gained 4.51% to $34.03 at 1:22 p.m. today, which, if the stock closed there now, would be the biggest gain since August 2012. It’s also just the 31st time in 2612 trading days that Sysco has move 4.51% or more in either direction in a single day, just 1.2% of the time. It also has a beta, or volatility relative to the S&P 500, of just 0.62.

  Most of the big-move days, I imagine, are like today, when Sysco got a big boost from its fiscal first-quarter earnings report. MarketWatch has the details:

  For the period ended Sept. 28, Sysco reported a profit of $285.6 million, or 48 cents a share, down from $286.6 million, or 49 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding restructuring-related expenses and other items, adjusted earnings were lower at 56 cents from 58 cents. Revenue increased 5.7% to $11.71 billion.

  Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters recently expected per-share earnings of 48 cents and revenue of $11.62 billion.

  Today’s move is quite a turnaround for Sysco, which plunged more than 4% on August 12 after releasing a disappointing earnings report.

  Guggenheim’s John Heinbockel and Steven Forbes remain unconvinced that Sysco has fixed its problems:

  We remain Neutral-rated on Sysco, believing that an ongoing challenging economic environment and pressure on gross margin to drive top-line growth (and market share) will limit EBIT growth over at least the next few quarters. The longer-term outlook could be better, as some benefit is derived from ERP, but uncertain. The shares are rising 4% pre-market (vs. a 0.40% increase in the S&P 500), possibly on lower BTS expenses as well as a greater-than-expected CP-funded share buyback. We would remain on the sidelines and expect other names, like Family Dollar (FDO), Kroger (KR), and Five Below (FIVE) to outperform from here.

  Try telling that to the mark

• [By The Part-time Investor]

  The following stocks met the criteria in January of 2008 and were put into the initial portfolio:

  Abbot Labs (ABT)Advanced data processing (ADP)Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC)Bank of America (BAC)BB&T Corp. (BBT)Bemis Company (BMS)Anheuser Busch (BUD)The Chubb Corporation (CB)Clorox (CLX)Comerica Inc. (CMA)Diebold Inc. (DBD)Emerson Electronics (EMR)First Dollar Corp. (FDO)First Third BanCorp. (FITB)Gannett Co, Inc. (GCI)General Electric (GE)Hershey (HSY)Illinois Tools Works (ITW)Johnson and Johnson (JNJ)Leggett and Platt (LEG)Eli Lilly (LLY)La-Z-Boy (LZB)McDonald's (MCD)Marsh and Ilsley (MI)M&T Bancorp (MTB)PepsiCo (PEP)Pfizer (PFE)Procter & Gamble (PG)Pentair Ltd. (PNR)Regions Financial Corp. (RF)Rohm and Haas (ROH)RPM International (RPM)Sherwin Williams (SHW)Sysco Corp. (SYY)UDR Inc. (UDR)

  Historical quotes were taken from Yahoo Finance. $10,000 was put into each position, to the nearest whole share, so a total of $349,262.89 was invested. From 1/15/08 through 5/16/13 all dividends were reinvested back into the stock that paid them. If a dividend cut was announced, that stock was sold on the ex-div date of the new, lower dividend.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: (TELNY)

Telenor ASA operates as a telecommunication company worldwide. It provides mobile communication, fixed line communication, and television (TV)-based services. The company?s mobile communication services include voice, data, Internet, content, and electronic commerce services, as well as customer equipment, such as telephone sets, mobile phones, smart phones, computers, and PABX?s. Its fixed line services comprise analogue PSTN, digital ISDN, broadband telephony, xDSL, Internet, and leased lines, as well as communication solutions. The company?s TV-based services consist of pay-TV services via satellite dish, cable TV-networks, satellite master antenna TV-networks systems, broadband access services to cable TV-subscribers, and broadcasting rights, as well as security solutions to pay-TV operators. It also provides consulting and information technology services; maritime and aircraft telecommunications services; Internet protocol services; and mobile marketing agency service s, as well as manages two funds. The company has approximately 120 million mobile subscriptions. Telenor ASA was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Fornebu, Norway.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: Vivo Participacoes S.A.(VIV)

Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP provides fixed-line telecommunications services to residential and commercial customers in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Its services include local voice services, such as activation, monthly subscription, measured service, and public telephones; intraregional, interregional, and international long-distance voice services; data services comprising broadband services; pay TV services through direct to home satellite technology and land based wireless technology multichannel multipoint distribution service; and network services, such as interconnection and rental of facilities, as well as other services consisting of extended maintenance, caller identification, voice mail, cell phone blockers, computer support, and antivirus for Internet service subscribers. The company also offers multimedia communication services, such as audio, data, voice and other sounds, images, and texts and other information. In addition, it provides interc onnection services to cellular service providers and other fixed telecommunications companies through the use of its network. Further, the company offers telecommunications solutions and IT support designed to address the needs and requirements of companies operating various types of industries, including retail, manufacturing, services, financial institutions, and government. Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP provides its products and services through person-to-person sales, telesales, indirect channels, Internet, and door-to-door sales. As of December 31, 2010, its telephone network included 11.3 million fixed lines in service, including residential, commercial, and public telephone lines; 3.3 million broadband clients; and 0.5 million pay TV clients. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP is a subsidiary of Telefonica S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Vivendi (VIV) rose 2.7 percent to 17.15 euros. Music, pay-TV, European cinema and Internet in Brazil will make up a new media group based in France after the split with phone unit SFR, according to a statement yesterday.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Royal Mail (RMG) Group Ltd. jumped the most in a month after the U.K. postal service that listed its shares in October said first-half earnings almost doubled. Vivendi SA (VIV) advanced 1.9 percent after saying it will replace its chairman once it spins off its wireless business. Accor SA dropped 3.9 percent after saying it will separate the operation and ownership of hotels into two businesses.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Ebix (NASDAQ: EBIX  ) will be very busy in the near future doing work for a major South American telecom incumbent. The company announced that it has signed a deal with Telefonica's (NYSE: TEF  ) Brazilian subsidiary Telefonica/Vivo (NYSE: VIV  ) , also known as Telefonica Brasil,�to supply its services for the latter's eHealth Self Care initiative, which aims "to provide health assistance and complimentary services to their millions of clients." Ebix will utilize its A.D.A.M. Health Content Exchange solution to make this happen.