Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:RTN,MCHP,RBC,SCG,PNW, Investment Thesis

Ford (NYSE: F) posted a surprising May with sales increasing 0.7% after a contracting in March. Truck and SUV sales remain strong as consumer preference shifts to smaller automobiles due to lower gas prices. This sales mix is resulting in higher revenue and net income which is evident by the company��s growth rates in both categories in the first quarter of 2018. With a below-industry-average P/E and a near 5.5% dividend yield, I continue to recommend Ford as a buy.

Monthly Sales Data

Ford announced May 2018 U.S. vehicle sales of nearly 243K, up 0.7% from May 2017. While small, this increase was well ahead of estimates from Edmunds at a decline of 1.9%. Overall, the industry as a whole saw U.S. new car sales rise in May with projections largely in the 2-3% range. Despite this traction, consumer demand continued to weaken from the record highs in 2016; however, consumers continued the shift toward larger vehicles that helped push the average sales price to $35,635 in May 2018, which is an increase of 3.4% from May 2017. For the entire year, analysts are expecting U.S. auto sales to fall again in 2018 after the (2%) decrease in 2017 with the current forecast at 16.8M.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Raytheon Company(RTN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Bank of Internet (BOFI) , MGM Resorts (MGM) , Verizon (VZ) , Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) , Oracle (ORCL) , Salesforce.com (CRM) , PayPal (PYPL) , Raytheon (RTN) and McDonald's (MCD) .

• [By VantagePoint]

  Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has actually been on a prolonged uptrend going back five years, but the stock struggled for the first three months of 2018 to get over the $220 level. That resistance has since broken however, and RTN has continued to reach new all-time highs. This is another one that is looking poised to continue higher through its earnings report on April 26. Raytheon has exceeded Wall Street's EPS estimates every quarter since July 2016. 

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  Coffee waste is now fetching a 480 percent premium over coffee itself. Prices for dried husks are outstripping those for beans: Link

  ECONOMIC DATA The Richmond Fed manufacturing index for May will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Treasury is set to auction 4-and 52-week bills at 11:30 a.m. ET. The Treasury is set to auction 2-year notes at 1:00 p.m. ET. ANALYST RATINGS Susquehanna upgrades Macy's (NYSE: M) to Positive, Raises Price Target to $43 Deutsche Bank downgrades Manchester United (NYSE: MANU) to Hold, Lowers Price Target to $21 Credit Suisse downgrades Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) to Neutral, Announces $219 Price Target

  This is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day — it's a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. To get the full version of this note every morning, click here.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its holdings in Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) by 118.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 76,704 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 41,556 shares during the quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in Raytheon were worth $16,555,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By ]

  The second portfolio's top holdings included Intel (INTC) , JPMorgan Chase (JPM) , Raytheon (RTN) , Nucor (NUE) and Netflix (NFLX) .

  Cramer said this portfolio was "perfectly" diversified.

• [By ]

  And it’s not like there aren’t plenty of catalysts in the wind that could derail the whole thing. For one, there are plenty of big earnings reports this morning that could mess things up, especially in some currently out-of-favor sectors like staples (MO, HSY) and defense (RTN).

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Microchip Technology Incorporated(MCHP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By VantagePoint]

  Microchip Technology Incorporated (NASDAQ: MCHP) had a clear crossover to the upside on May 3, when the blue predicted moving average crossed above the black simple 10-day moving average. Since then the stock is up 17 percent, while the gray candle predicting Thursday's range shows continued upside. As long as the two lines don't crossover, look for this uptrend to continue. 

• [By Shanthi Rexaline]

  Morgan Stanley's Joseph Moore previewed earnings reports from MPINJ Inc (NASDAQ: PI), Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA). Morgan Stanley has the following ratings on the companies:

• [By ]

  Though concerns have been raised that the analog and MCU markets are at risk of seeing an inventory correction (they haven't had a major one in a while), given signs of excessive ordering and stretched lead times, TI and STMicro's numbers suggest conditions remain good for now. That's particularly true in industrial and auto markets where trends such as factory automation, ADAS adoption and electric/hybrid car sales are boosting chip demand. Several other analog/MCU firms, including Microchip (MCHP) , ON Semiconductor (ON) , Maxim Integrated (MXIM) and NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) , will be reporting soon.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  This company is a huge Internet of Things benefactor. Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and flash-IP solutions, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Regal Beloit Corporation(RBC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $1.85 billion. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: JEC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $3.63 billion. Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.92 per share on revenue of $3.17 billion. Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $926.18 million. The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.24 per share on revenue of $2.98 billion. Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPD) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $1.71 billion. US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $5.98 billion. DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.7 per share on revenue of $3.50 billion. Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.06 per share on revenue of $936.98 million. Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CWH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $1.06 billion. Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.14 per share on revenue of $1.21 billion. Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.28 per share on revenue of $23.80 billion. JD.com, Inc. (NYSE: JD) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.18 per share on revenue of $15.65 billion. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE: VRX) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.6 per share o
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Foundry Partners LLC raised its holdings in Regal Beloit Corp (NYSE:RBC) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 183,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,534 shares during the quarter. Foundry Partners LLC owned 0.42% of Regal Beloit worth $13,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Generac (NYSE: GNRC) and Regal Beloit (NYSE:RBC) are both mid-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings and dividends.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Scana Corporation(SCG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Teacher Retirement System of Texas trimmed its stake in SCANA Co. (NYSE:SCG) by 19.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,987 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,419 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in SCANA were worth $1,126,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on SCANA (SCG)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.24 per share on revenue of $34.66 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.85 per share on revenue of $5.24 billion. United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.55 per share on revenue of $16.44 billion. Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.74 per share on revenue of $7.91 billion. ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.74 per share on revenue of $8.81 billion. PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.93 per share on revenue of $12.4 billion. American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.72 per share on revenue of $10.42 billion. Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE: LUV) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.74 per share on revenue of $5.01 billion. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.8 per share on revenue of $34.52 billion. Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.66 per share on revenue of $5.38 billion. D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.85 per share on revenue of $3.76 billion. The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.4 per share on revenue of $1.94 billion. Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.56 per share on revenue of $2.94 billion. Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.92 per share on revenue of $4.63 billion. Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPG) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $3.54 per share on revenue of $3.72 billion. Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) is projected to report quarter

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Pinnacle West Capital Corporation(PNW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Atria Investments LLC cut its stake in shares of Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW) by 49.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,560 shares during the period. Atria Investments LLC’s holdings in Pinnacle West Capital were worth $371,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  M&T Bank Corp raised its position in Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW) by 15.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,775 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,196 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Pinnacle West Capital were worth $700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ING Groep NV lifted its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,423 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Pinnacle West Capital were worth $912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.