The Thirst for Dividends: Top Yielding Water Utility Stocks

by Fred Fuld III

Many years ago, I began investing in water utility stocks. I assumed that any company that can sell something that is ubiquitous as water, must have a great business. It ended up that all the water stocks I purchased got bought out by another company, at a much higher price than what I paid for it.

Water utilities don’t pay as high a dividend yield as electric utilities or gas utilities, but there are several water utility stocks with yields over 1.7% to 4.0%. Here are a few of these stocks.

American Water Works Company (AWK) is a $29.1 billion market cap water utility which yields 1.5%. The company provides water and wastewater services in 16 states. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 40.5 and a forward PE of 37.7.

California Water Service Group (CWT) provides water utility services in California, Washington, New Mexico, and Hawaii. This $3 billion market cap company trades at 26 times trailing earnings and 33 times forward earnings. It pays a dividend yield of 1.56%.

Middlesex Water Company (MSEX), a $1.5 billion company, provides water services in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. The stock trades at 41 times trailing earnings and 39.5 times forward earnings. The stock yields 1.24%.

The York Water Company (YORW), based in Pennsylvania, is a $685 million company. It has a trailing PE of 42 and a forward PE of 39.5. The yield is 1.43%.

I might be all wet but one of these water companies might just clench your portfolio thirst for dividends.

Disclosure: Author owns CWT.

What Warren Buffett is Dumping and Buying

by Fred Fuld III

You know, if you are thinking of investing in Apple (AAPL) stock, you just might want to consider buying shares of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) stock, as 40% of the Berkshire portfolio is made up of Apple.

This way, if Apple does well, you participate through Berkshire, and if it doesn’t, at least you have diversification though Berkshire’s ownership of over 45 other stocks.

So let’s look at the rest of Buffett’s portfolio. In the first quarter of the year, he sold out of two companies, Suncor Energy (SU) and Synchrony Financial (SYF).

Warren Buffett has been reducing positions in a couple bank stocks, US Bancorp (USB) and Wells Fargo (WFC). He has also been lightening up on General Motors (GM), Chevron (CVX), Abbvie (ABBV), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Merck (MRK), Stoneco (STNE), Axalta Coating (AXTA), Sirius XM Radio (SIRI), and Liberty Global (LBTYA).

He hasn’t been buying much, but he has been adding to his positions in Verizon (VZ), buying over 12 million additional shares. He also added 17.5 million shares to his Kroger (KR) position, and bought more Restoration Hardware (RH) and Marsh & McLellan (MMC).

There is one brand new stock in the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio., the insurance company Aon (AON). The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 27.5 and a forward P/E of 22.5. It pays a yield of 0.81%.

To see the list of all the Warren Buffett holdings, click HERE.

Maybe some of these stocks will make you as successful as Warren Buffett.

 

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL.

Weirdest Wall Street Stuff on Amazon

by Fred Fuld III

Are you looking for a great joke gift for a stock trader friend? Or maybe just a funny gift for your father who likes to invest, and you need to come up with a present for Father’s Day. Then again, you could just be looking for something for yourself to prove what a great trader or investor you are.

If so, there is a great selection of unusual  items on Amazon related to investing and the stock market. Here is an interesting list of the out-of-the-ordinary.

Rocket Ship WSB Wall Street Bets Stock Market T-Shirt

If you made money on GameStop (GME), why not show it off with this attention getting WallStreetBets To the Moon T-Shirt.

 

Wolf of Wall Street Poster

Here’s an unusual one. A framable quote from Jordan Belfort, the Wolf of Wall Street.

 

Miniature ATM

All right, it’s not a real ATM. It’s basically a kid’s piggy bank, but instead of being in the shape of a pig, it is in the shape of a bank vault with keypads and everything. A unique gift for a child.

Stock Market Decision Maker

If you can’t figure out which way the stock market is going, check out this desk paperweight stock market decision maker that might just tell you whether to buy, sell, short, hold, and so on. Makes a great icebreaker for visitors to your office.

 

Are you made of money?

People might think so if they look below your pant cuffs and see socks with money raining down.


Show that You’re the Godfather of Stocks

If your father trades stocks, this might be the perfect Fathers Day gift, a T-shirt that says The Stocksfather.

 


COVID Stock Market Chart

Now here’s a chart that you won’t see every day. A graph of the SPY from December 2019 to May 2020, showing the Coronavirus Crash.

 


Show the World that you Trade While You Drive

This is a chrome plastic license plate frame that proclaims that you would much rather be watching the stock market.

 

Thank You AMC Stonk to The Moon Stickers

Here are three stickers for those that made money from  AMC (AMC). Put them on your laptop, your front door, your car, your water bottle, your face, or wherever.

 


Are You a Stock Market Genius?

This Stock Market Genius coffee mug is great for braggarts.

 

What Guy Wouldn’t want a Throw Pillow?

This is a Buy the Fear, Sell the Greed throw pillow, great for punching or throwing if you make a trading mistake.

 

Bull and Bear Bronze Statue with a Twist

You have probably seen several of this statues showing a bull and a bear. This one is a little different. The bull is goring the bear, and look at the bear’s expression.

Hopefully you can find some great unusual, weird, strange, investment related gifts for yourself, family, and friends.

 

 

 

This article and page contains affiliate links.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend in June 2021

The following is a short list of some of the many stocks going ex dividend during the next month.

Many traders and investors use the stock trading technique called ‘Buying Dividends,’ also commonly referred to as ‘Dividend Capture.’ This is the strategy of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend.

This technique generally works in bull markets and flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the strategy during bear markets. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can’t sell the stock until after the ex date.

The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and some with yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the periodic dividend amount.

HP Inc. (HPQ) 6/8/2021 0.194 2.60%
MGM Resorts International (MGM) 6/9/2021 0.002 0.02%
Merck & Company, Inc. (MRK) 6/14/2021 0.65 3.43%
Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY) 6/16/2021 0.70 2.37%
Dillard’s, Inc. (DDS) 6/29/2021 0.15 0.44%
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (KDP) 6/30/2021 0.188 2.02%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found HERE . (If you have been to the page before, and the latest link doesn’t show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WSTNN.com HERE .

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Record date: the day when you must be on the company’s books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don’t forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written; affiliate links are on this page.

AMC Doubled Today: What About the Other Movie Theater Stocks?

by Fred Fuld III

In case you missed it, the stock price of AMC Entertainment (AMC), the company that owns the chain of movie theaters, doubled today.  Well, OK, it was up only 95.22%, but it is up another 5.20% in after market trading, as I am writing this.

AMC chart

To think that you could have both AMC for $2 a share back in January, and now it is over $62.

Of course, AMC is one of the “stonks”, a stock that has a large group of traders buying the stock to take advantage of the fact that the stock is heavily shorted, creating a major short squeeze. So the substantial increase today has nothing to do with the company’s earnings, revenues, or anything else.

However, it does point out the fact that the number of American’s that have been vaccinated has been on the rise and the COVID-19 infection rate is dropping. It also means that people are more willing to get out and go to a movie theater. Especially a nice air conditioned theater during the hot summer.

Cinemark Holdings Inc. (CNK), based in Plano, Texas, operates over 500 theaters. It has a market cap of $3 billion, and is generating negative earnings. It does not pay a dividend.

The Marcus Corporation (MCS) owns theaters in 17 states with the brands Marcus Theatres, Movie Tavern by Marcus, and BistroPlex. Earnings are currently negative. It has a market cap of $710 million.

Cineworld Group PLC ( CNNWF) is a UK based company that operates such theater chains as Regal, United Artists, Edwards theatres, Cineworld, and Picturehouse. Earnings are currently negative. The market cap is $1.8 billion.

IMAX Corporation (IMAX) offers theater software and equipment to theaters. Earnings are currently negative. The stock trades at 25.7 time forward earnings, and does not pay a dividend. IMAX has a market cap of $1.3 billion.

Let’s see if any of these stocks become blockbusters.

Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written.

This May Be the World’s Smartest Wallet

First, I own this wallet so I can attest to its quality. The Ekster Parliament wallet has a lot of advantages over the regular old fashioned pressure-on-your-rear-end wallet.

The wallet has a slim design, and of course it has RFID protection. It has a button that ejects your credit cards on a staggered basis for easy access. It can hold between four and ten cars.Ekster Wallet brown

There is also a strap on the card that allows you to store currency; however, you should be aware that if you carry around a lot of cash, the wallet will no longer be slim.

The wallet can be used with the Ekster Tracker Card with GPS and Bluetooth (sold separately), so that if you can’t find your wallet, you can call it with your cellphone, with a choice of ring tones. Your wallet can even call your cellphone, if you can’t find where you put it! Plus, the tracker has a solar charging feature.

A couple of other advantages of the Tracker. You can even set up out-of-range alerts. You can also use the Tracker s a clicker, if you are taking a selfie. You can locate your wallet with Google Home, too.

These wallets come in an assortment of six different colors to choose from and would make a great Father’s Day gift or birthday gift.

The wallet and tracker can be ordered directly from the company at:

Ekster.com

or if you prefer, you can order it through Amazon.

Remember, Father’s Day is June 20.

 

 

 

Affiliate links on this page.

Have You Ever Wondered if You Live In or Have a Business In a Low Income Area?

If you have ever wondered if you live in or have a business in a low income area, there is a tool created by the Small Business Administration that can provide you with that information.

This mapping tool was created for the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Disaster Assistance (ODA). It is intended to assist businesses with determining whether an address is located within a “low-income community”, which is one of the eligibility criteria for the Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advance program. “Low-income community” designations in this tool follow the specifications prescribed in HR 133/26 U.S.C. Section 45D(e).

If you are interested, check out the mapping tool.

You Can Buy an NFT to Name the Giant Sea Bass of the San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay

Smithsonian-affiliated Aquarium of the Bay is issuing a series of official Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) through ViciNFT representing live images of a giant sea bass residing in the aquarium’s 750,000-gallon saltwater tunnels.

NFT’s are unique digital assets. The NFT market value tripled in 2020, and a trend toward digital collectables has continued to power the economic momentum of NFTs in the crypto market in 2021.

The NFT auction, for those who do not yet have crypto money, began Tuesday, May 18, 2021 and ends at 5 PM Eastern Time on Friday, May 21, 2021.

Can now bid on eBay.

The auction is being undertaken in support of the aquarium’s non-profit charitable mission to promote environmental education and actions that support climate resilience and ocean conservation.

Aquarium of the Bay, located on San Francisco’s waterfront at PIER 39, is home to more than 24,000 marine animals and over 200 species representing the marine biodiversity of the San Francisco Bay. Visitors from around the world tour the aquarium’s glass tunnels to watch gill sharks, bat rays, jellies, octopuses, leopard sharks, sturgeons, and more.

The Giant Sea Bass NFT includes one-and-only “lifetime” images of the aquarium’s iconic resident. The species, native to the North Pacific, is renowned for its large size and long lifespan.

The Aquarium’s giant sea bass, an imposing and popular character, will be named by the NFT winner. The bass is more than 15 years old, weigh 250 pounds, measures 5-feet 6-inches long (the size of a motorcycle), and has a stoic personality.

A giant sea bass matures around age 11 or 12 and can live 75 years. The NFT owner will receive photos and videos, authenticated by Aquarium of the Bay, every six months over the lifespan of animal.

George Jacob, FRCGS, the first Aquarium President and CEO in the United States to initiate this unique partnership in the crypto realm, says, “We are excited to navigate into unchartered waters and are delighted to steer this forward jointly with ViciNFT.”

Aquarium of the Bay’s NFT partner, ViciNFT, is led by best-selling author/literary agent Bill Gladstone, who represented Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle, musician Neil Young and Deepak Chopra. ViciNFT helps world-renowned institutions curate, design, market and nurture NFTs and digital collectibles for the common good.

Gladstone said, “We are so proud to be enabling this NFT to benefit the landmark San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay. We believe that NFTs for the common good can help museums and other institutions dedicated to education and cultural appreciation address the funding challenges they face now and in the future.”

The results of Aquarium of the Bay’s first NFT auction will be announced Friday from the ViciNFT website following the close of the auction at 5 p.m. ET on May 21. Those looking to bid should proceed to the official Aquarium of the Bay auction.

Have We Seen the Top of the Stock Market? Probably

by Fred Fuld III

A week ago, on Monday, May 10, 2021, the SPY was trading at the 422 level. Also on the same day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average 35,091.56. Since then,   we haven’t traded even close to those levels.

SPY

The SPY has dropped about 2.7% since that time and may have further to go.

Dow Jones Industrial Average

The Dow has dropped about 2.9% since then and it looks like we could see lower levels.

There are all kinds of fundamental and technical reasons why the stock market may continue to drop, and we may never see the highs of las Monday for a long, long time. However, in this case, this is only a hunch, not a recommendation to sell or short (or even buy). It is just my opinion that we are headed into a bear market.

No recommendations are expressed or implied.

Advantages of Gold Royalty Trusts

by Fred Fuld III

Have you ever thought about investing in gold mining companies but were concerned about the risks and lack of dividend income? You may want to consider investing in gold royalty trusts as an alternative.

Gold royalty trusts provide funds to mining company which need a large amount of capital to run their mining operations. In return, the royalty trusts receive a percentage of the gold revenues. The trusts can fund many different mining companies to provide diversification and often buy gold royalty contracts from other companies.

Some trusts also use precious metals streaming, which is when a company makes an agreement with a mining company to purchase all or part of their precious metals production at a predetermined discounted price.

So some of the main benefits of gold royalty trusts are:

  • Income
  • Inflation hedge
  • Portfolio diversification of royalty contracts
  • Gold diversification from bullion, coins, and mining companies
  • Possible tax benefits for the dividends
  • Avoidance of the risks of mining companies
  • Significantly lower expenses due to small number of employees for the trust versus the large employe expenditures for the mining companies
  • Liquidity

Here are some examples of gold and silver royalty trusts that may be worth further investigation for you hard assets and/or income portfolio.

Franco-Nevada (FNV) is a Toronto, Ontario, Canada based owner of royalties and streams, and which trades on the New York Stock Exchange. The company has a market cap of $28.4 billion and pays a dividend yield of 0.78%.  Dividends are paid quarterly and have increased every year since 2014. The stock trades at 48 times trailing earnings and 44 times forward earnings. Over the last three years, revenues have grown by 15%, operating income has increased by 36%, and net income has gone up by 19%.

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), based in Vancouver, Canada, specializes in silver metal streaming, and has a market cap of $21 billion. Some of the companies that Wheaton has contracts with include Barrick Gold (GOLD) and Goldcorp (now part of Newmont (NEM)). Wheaton has a yield of 1.03%, with dividends paid quarterly. The latest dividend was increased by 7.7%. The stock has trailing price to earnings ratio of 37 and a forward P/E of 32.

Royal Gold (RGLD), based in Denver, Colorado and trades on the NASDAQ, provides a yield of 0.94%. Dividends were increased by 7.1% this year, and have increased every year since 2004. It is an $8.3 billion company with a trailing P/E of 31 and a forward P/E of 33.

Sandstorm Gold (SAND), based in Vancouver, has a market cap of $1.7 billion. It has a trailing P/E of 57 and a forward P/E of 56. Currently, there is no dividend.

For a list of more than half a dozen gold and silver royalty trusts along with their yields and other information, click HERE.

Hopefully, one of these gold royalty trusts will help you strike it rich.

Disclosure: Author has a long position in WPM and SAND.