UTX

Forecasting Future Earnings Is The Key To Successful Stock Investing, Consensus Analysts’ Estimates Provide A Solid Starting Point

Looking for good dividend paying stocks to add to your retirement portfolio?  You might want to try trusting analysts’ estimates to aid in your selection process. Putting Analysts’ Estimates Into Perspective I believe that estimating future earnings growth is a major key to successful long-term stock investing.  If you’re a true investor, then you are …

The Essence of Valuation is Soundness Not Rate of Return

Introduction on Stock Valuation When it comes to writing about investing in common stocks, my favorite theme typically revolves around valuation.  In fact, I once had a reader dub me “Mr. Valuation.”  Which, I might add was very flattering to me.  Moreover, in the context of discussing valuation there are normally three concepts that are …

Maybe Diversification Is Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be

There’s an old cliché about real estate investing that states that the three cardinal rules are: location- location- location.  Clever pundits have borrowed upon this refrain and glibly state that the three most important or cardinal rules of investing are: diversify- diversify- diversify. However, careful analysis will reveal that diversification is a multifaceted concept that …

42 Dividend Contenders for Above-Average Total Return

With interest rates hovering near all-time lows, investors needing income are faced with very limited choices.  The traditional high yield available from bonds and other fixed income vehicles are no longer available to meet the needs of retirees needing income to live off.  Moreover, it is almost a certainty that today’s low yields are not …

Principles of Valuation Part 1: Price Is What You Pay, Value Is What You Get

Why have these three stocks historically commanded approximately the same True Worth™ price earnings ratio? SCANA Corp. (SCG), a public utility, has a historical earnings growth rate averaging 3.2% per annum, VF Corp. (VFC), an apparel manufacturer, has a historical earnings growth rate averaging 7.4%, and United Technologies Corp. (UTX), an aerospace and technology conglomerate, …

Ten Prominent Defense Stocks That Pay Dividends, Part II

Introduction In Part I of this two-part series we pointed out how proposed spending cuts by Defense Secretary Robert Gates are designed to hold the growth of the $680 billion defense department budget to only 1% or 2% for the next few years. We further pointed out that these pending spending cuts were casting a …