Since its inception in December of 1993, Royce Total Return Fund��anaged byChuck Royce (Lead Portfolio Manager) and Jay Kaplan (Portfolio Manager)��as concentrated on owning select dividend-paying micro-cap and small-cap stocks in its portfolio in an effort to reduce volatility and provide investors with some current income during market extremes.
We are very pleased to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Royce Total Return Fund. The Fund invests in dividend-paying small-cap companies with market capitalizations up to $2.5 billion that Portfolio Managers Chuck Royce and Jay Kaplan select using a disciplined value approach.
We have always seen dividends and small-caps as two great things that work well together, kind of like chocolate and peanut butter. In fact, our experience with dividend-paying small-caps stretches back to the 1970s, when we regularly purchased them in Royce Pennsylvania Mutual Fund�� portfolio. We had also introduced an institutional product in 1979 that used an investment strategy similar to Royce Total Return Fund. (There is no guarantee that companies that pay a dividend will continue to do so in the future.)
Hot International Stocks To Buy Right Now: British/Swiss Franc(UN)
UNILEVER N.V. operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. It offers personal care products, including skin care and hair care products, deodorants, and oral care products under the brand names of Axe, Brylcreem, Dove, Fissan, Lifebuoy, Lux, Pond's, Radox, Rexona, Signal & Close Up, Simple, St Ives, Sunsilk, TRESemm� Vaseline, and VO5. The company also provides home care products comprising laundry tablets, powders and liquids, soap bars, and various cleaning products under the Cif, Comfort, Domestos, Omo, Radiant, Sunlight, and Surf brand names. In addition, it offers food products consisting of soups, bouillons, sauces, snacks, mayonnaise, salad dressings, margarines and spreads, as well as cooking products, such as liquid margarines. The company markets its food products under the brand names of Becel/Flora, Bertolli, Blue Band, Rama, Hellmann?s, Amora, and Knorr. Further, it provides refreshment products, which include ice cream, tea-based beverages, weight-management products, and nutritionally enhanced staples under the brand names of Heartbrand, Lipton, and Slim?Fast. UNILEVER N.V. sells its products through its own sales force, as well as through independent brokers, agents, and distributors to chain, wholesale, co-operative and independent grocery accounts, food service distributors, and institutions. The company, formerly known as Naamlooze Vennootschap Margarine Unie, was founded in 1927 and is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Unilever N.V. is a subsidiary of The Unilever Group.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By MONEYMORNING]
Own a giant, global player in consumer goods that has a diversified array of household brand-name products that are sold all over the world and that pays a fat dividend. Unilever N.V. (ADR) (NYSE: UN) is one.
- [By Philip Springer]
What’s this week’s big story for investors?
Candidate #1: RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) said it will close up to 1,100 of its nearly 5,200 US stores amid widening losses. The company also announced that revenue in the fourth quarter of 2013 fell 20 percent from year-earlier levels.
It doesn’t matter whether the latest announcement is in addition to or merely an expansion of the company’s Feb. 5 statement that it would close 500 stores. That, in turn, shortly followed the beleaguered company’s $4 million expenditure for a widely praised but clearly ill-timed 30-second ad during the Super Bowl.
Also this week, Radio Shack agreed to pay its top executives “retention” bonuses, saying their skills are critical to the company�� comeback plan. CEO Joe Magnacca will get a $500,000 payment, while other executives will receive $187,500 to $275,000.
The stock currently trades around $2, down from its 1999 peak of $61.
No, that’s not the week’s big story. But it was too good to ignore.
Candidate #2: The current bull market celebrates its fifth birthday this week, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 delivering a total return of about 175 percent during that time.
Since 1921, the median bull market has been 50 months long and has delivered 115 percent in price appreciation. So this market is older and better than most. Still, the conditions aren’t yet present to suggest the end is near. Indeed, Wednesday’s advance, the best of the year to date, was exceptional for both its breadth and heavy volume.
The five-year anniversary also means that stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds and so on will boast very good five-year returns. Don’t be overly impressed. Reason: Almost everybody will be a winner. (Other than Radio Shack.) But you should dig deeper: Comparisons will be useful to sort out leaders and laggards for potential investme
Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Altria Group(MO)
Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, smokeless products, and wine in the United States and internationally. It offers cigarettes under the Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, Basic, and L&M brands; smokeless tobacco products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, Husky brands, and Marlboro snus brands; and machine-made large cigars and pipe tobacco. The company also produces and sells blended table wines under the Chateau Ste Michelle and Columbia Crest names; and distributes Antinori and Villa Maria Estate wines and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte in the United States. In addition, it maintains a portfolio of leveraged and direct finance leases in rail and surface transport, aircraft, electric power, real estate, and manufacturing. The company sells its tobacco products to wholesalers, including distributors; large retail organizations, such as chain stores; and the armed services. Altria Group, Inc. markets its wine products to restaurants, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, wine shops, and mass merchandisers. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bryan Murphy]
Lorillard Inc. (NYSE:LO) and Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) might want to take a look over their shoulder... or perhaps take another, longer look. Not only is the cigarette space as competitive as ever for the likes of LO and MO, but there are some new faces playing the game. And, their strategy is to play the game in a way that's never been played before. Even more alarming to the likes of Altria and Lorillard? These new players are already showing some great progress with this "new way", and are on pace to capture $10 billion of the current annual cigarette market by 2017, up from around $1.0 billion last year.
- [By Selena Maranjian]
Domestic tobacco giant Altria (NYSE: MO ) gained 8% and yields 5%, despite facing challenges such as a shrinking smoker base in the U.S., more folks moving to discount cigarettes,�and rising taxes and regulations. The company is tackling the shrinking smoking base by moving into electronic cigarettes, which some expect to become a big market. Bulls may like its hefty free cash flow, but there are reasons to worry, too, such as also-hefty taxes.
- [By Vinay Singh]
According to Euromonitor, 4% of the global smoking market will have switched over to e-cigarettes by 2050. Bloomberg projects e-cigarette to surpass traditional cigarette sales by 2047. By some estimates, e-cigarettes are already projected to become a $1.7 billion industry in the U.S. by the end of this year. This is why tobacco companies depend on e-cigarettes now. Altria Group (MO), Reynolds American, and Lorillard (LO) have started selling e-cigarettes in order to make up for declining sales of cigarettes as awareness about the dangers of tobacco spreads. Let's take a look at the moves they have been making.
Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ONEOK Inc.(OKE)
ONEOK, Inc., a diversified energy company, operates as a natural gas distributor primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: ONEOK Partners, Distribution, and Energy Services. The ONEOK Partners segment engages in gathering, processing, fractionating, transporting, storing, and marketing natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) principally in the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions, which include Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma, Fort Worth Basin of Texas, Hugoton and Central Kansas Uplift Basins of Kansas, Williston Basin of Montana, and North Dakota and the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. This segment offers its services to oil and gas production companies; natural gas gathering and processing companies; petrochemical, refining, and NGL marketing companies; Local distribution companies (LDCs) and power generating companies; and natural gas marketing and NGL gathering companies, and propane distributors. The Distribution segment provides natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation customers, as well as public authority customers, such as cities, governmental agencies, and schools in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. The Energy Services segment delivers physical natural gas products and risk management services through its network of contracted transportation and storage capacity, and natural gas supply. This segment?s customers primarily comprise LDCs, electric utilities, and industrial end users. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Melvin]
Price�� new buys in the quarter were Oenok (OKE), Dolby Labs (DLB) and T-Mobile (TMUS). I don�� find any of those particularly exciting at current levels, but I�� willing to acknowledge that Michael Price is a lot smarter than I am and probably sees value I am missing in these stocks. What I find much more interesting was that Price was doing a lot more selling than buying in the third quarter.
- [By Aimee Duffy]
Midstream companies are having an excellent 2013 so far, but ONEOK Partners (NYSE: OKS ) has more or less missed out, as shares are down about 1% year to date. The partnership and its general partner ONEOK (NYSE: OKE ) report earnings on Tuesday, and the results will hopefully shed some light on whether or not things will pick up this year. Here are three things to watch for when ONEOK Partners reports.
- [By David Dittman]
Question: Hi. What do you think about Williams Companies (NYSE: WMB) and ONEOK Inc (NYSE: OKE)? They both seem to be increasing their dividends.
Answer: Williams just completed a big deal for Access Midstream Partners LP that will add to cash flow and provide more room for dividend growth. Part of the deal in fact includes a 32 percent payout increase. This is a classic invest-to-grow story. I like Williams under 60.
ONEOK is now a pure-play general partner, its asset being a 41 percent interest in ONEOK Partners LP (NYSE: OKS) and its gathering/processing/transporting assets from key US gas-producing fields. Management has guided to solid dividend growth for the next half-decade. I like ONEOK on dips to 66.
Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: TECO Energy Inc.(TE)
TECO Energy, Inc., an electric and gas utility company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric energy. It provides retail electric service to approximately 672,000 customers in West Central Florida with a net winter system generating capability of 4,684 megawatts. The company also engages in the purchase, distribution, and marketing of natural gas. It serves approximately 336,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and electric power generation customers in Florida. In addition, the company owns mineral rights, owns or operates surface and underground mines, and owns interests in coal processing and loading facilities. TECO Energy, Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Justin Loiseau]
TECO Energy (NYSE: TE ) is as close to a pure coal pick as utilities get, but even TECO is taking a step back. The utility's Appalachian coal mines churn out 9 million tons annually, and its regulated division relies on coal for 61% of its capacity. But last week, the company announced that it's dishing out $950 million for a regulated New Mexico natural gas utility. The acquisition adds 50% to TECO's customer base and could provide some natural hedging if coal and natural gas continue their price tango.�
- [By Justin Loiseau]
TECO Energy (NYSE: TE ) is to coal stock as Dominion is to natural gas stock, with coal-centric capacity (61%) and mines in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Rising natural gas prices are expected to increase coal demand by 7.8% for 2013, but a lack of modernization could leave TECO shareholders hung out to dry if coal becomes cost-ineffective a second time around.
- [By Justin Loiseau]
AEP relies on coal for about 66% of its generating capacity, comparable to TECO Energy's (NYSE: TE ) 61% coal capacity. TECO takes its coal cravings a step further with vertical integration, pulling 9 million tons of solid black gold annually from its Appalachian mines.
- [By Justin Loiseau]
Dog days for natural gas
A new report from the Energy Information Administration predicts a relative drop in natural gas use for electricity generation over the next year. As natural gas prices push higher, the EIA expects natural gas' share of the generation pie to drop 2.4 percentage points to 28% for 2013. To fill the gap, the EIA expects coal to make a 7.8% comeback this year. Although many utilities with older energy portfolios are celebrating the news, coal-centric TECO Energy (NYSE: TE ) arguably has the most to gain from natural gas' price increase. Not only does the company's regulated division rely heavily on coal for 61% of its generation, but the utility also owns and operates Appalachian coal mines.
Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Alliance Resource Partners L.P.(ARLP)
Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. engages in the production and marketing of coal for utilities and industrial users in the United States. It operates nine underground mining complexes, which offer low, medium, and high-sulfur coal. The company also leases land and operates a coal loading terminal on the Ohio River at Mt. Vernon, Indiana; and purchases and resells coal. In addition, the company provides mine products and services comprising design and installation of underground mine hoists for transporting employees and materials in and out of mines; design of systems for automating and controlling various aspects of industrial and mining environments; and design and sale of mine safety equipment, such as its miner and equipment tracking, and proximity detection systems. Further, it offers ash and scrubber sludge removal, coal yard maintenance, and arranging alternate transportation services. As of December 31, 2010, the company had approximately 697.4 million tons of coal reserves in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC serves as the general partner of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. The company was founded in 1971 and is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Robert Rapier]
The National Association of Publicly Traded Partnerships (NAPTP) lists five MLPs in the category ��atural Resources – Coal,��although two of the five are Alliance Holdings (NYSE: AHGP) and its operating affiliate, Alliance Resource Partners (NYSE: ARLP). The other three are Natural Resource Partners (NYSE: NRP), Rhino Resource Partners (NYSE: RNO), and Oxford Resource Partners (NYSE: OXF).
Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC)
Wisconsin Energy Corporation engages in the generation, distribution, and sale of electric energy and steam. The company also involves in the purchase, distribution, and sale of natural gas to retail customers, as well as in the transportation of customer-owned natural gas in Wisconsin. It generates electricity from coal, natural gas, wind, and hydro sources. The company offers its services under ?We Energies? name. It serves approximately 1,120,200 electric customers in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; approximately 1,064,500 gas customers in Wisconsin; and approximately 460 steam customers in metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition, the company invests and develops in real estate properties, including business parks and other commercial real estate projects primarily in southeastern Wisconsin. It provides electric utility service to industries, such as mining, paper, foundry, food products, and machinery production, as well as to retail chains. The c ompany was founded in 1981 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Melvin Backman]
5. Buying power in energy stocks: Wisconsin Energy (WEC) announced this morning that it will acquire Integrys Energy Group (TEG) for for $71 per share in order to increase its natural gas business and its footprint in the Great Lakes region. Wisconsin's stock is flat, and Integrys shares have jumped over 14% to nearly $70.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Utilities sector was the only gainer in the US market on Friday. Leading the sector was strength from FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) and Wisconsin Energy (NYSE: WEC). Technology shares declined around 1.53 percent in Friday's trading. - [By ovenerio]
The company has a current ROE of 11.16% which is higher than the industry median. Also, it is higher than the one exhibit by Ameren (AEE). In general, analysts consider ROE ratios in the 15-20% range as representing attractive levels for investment. So, for investors looking at those levels, Wisconsin Energy (WEC) and CMS Energy (CMS) could be the options. It is very important to understand this metric before investing, and it is important to look at the trend in ROE over time.
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