Are you a dividend lover? Perhaps growth or value is your pleasure? No matter, these nine outfits have it all, says S&P
Is is possible to find one group of stocks that satisfies two distinct camps of investors? In the spirit of the holidays, this week’s screen will try to bring cheer to both growth and income fans.
Our first stop: income. Many investors like the comfort of regular dividend checks — which is like getting paid to own a stock, according to our colleagues at S&P’s The Outlook newsletter. The stocks on our list had to have a dividend yield greater than 2.5%, well above the market average.
PANNING FOR GOLD Then we prospected for some growth names. After all, who wouldn’t mind some good earnings growth to go along with a nice dividend? We sifted for those issues with a projected five-year EPS growth rate greater than 8%.
Then we went to some in-house investing tools to enhance the appeal of the names on our list. Each issue had to carry a ranking of either 4 STARS (buy) or 5 STARS (strong buy) from Standard & Poor’s Equity Research. S&P equity analysts expect stocks with those designations to outperform the overall market over the next 6 to 12 months. We then looked for those issues with an S&P Quality Ranking of at least A, based on dividend and earnings over the past 10 years.
Glossary
S&P STARS: Since January 1, 1987, Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services has ranked a universe of common stocks based on a given stock’s potential for future performance. Under proprietary STARS (STock Appreciation Ranking System), S&P equity analysts rank stocks according to their individual forecast of a stock’s future capital appreciation potential versus the expected performance of a relevant benchmark (e.g., a regional index (S&P Asia 50 Index, S&P Europe 350 Index or S&P 500 Index), based on a 12-month time horizon. STARS was designed to meet the needs of investors looking to put their investment decisions in perspective.
S&P Earnings & Dividend Rank (also known as S&P Quality Rank): Growth and stability of earnings and dividends are deemed key elements in establishing S&P’s earnings and dividend rankings for common stocks, which are designed to capsulize the nature of this record in a single symbol. It should be noted, however, that the process also takes into consideration certain adjustments and modifications deemed desirable in establishing such rankings. The final score for each stock is measured against a scoring matrix determined by analysis of the scores of a large and representative sample of stocks.
S&P Issuer Credit Rating: A Standard & Poor’s Issuer Credit Rating is a current opinion of an obligor’s overall financial capacity (its creditworthiness) to pay its financial obligations. This opinion focuses on the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due. It does not apply to any specific financial obligation, as it does not take into account the nature of and provisions of the obligation, its standing in bankruptcy or liquidation, statutory preferences, or the legality and enforceability of the obligation. In addition, it does not take into account the creditworthiness of the guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation. The Issuer Credit Rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold a financial obligation issued by an obligor, as it does not comment on market price or suitability for a particular investor. Issuer Credit Ratings are based on current information furnished by obligors or obtained by Standard & Poor’s from other sources it considers reliable. Standard & Poor’s does not perform an audit in connection with any Issuer Credit Rating and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. Issuer Credit Ratings may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or unavailability of, such information, or based on other circumstances.
S&P Core Earnings: Standard & Poor’s Core Earnings is a uniform methodology for calculating operating earnings, and focuses on a company’s after-tax earnings generated from its principal businesses. Included in the Standard & Poor’s definition are employee stock option grant expenses, pension costs, restructuring charges from ongoing operations, write-downs of depreciable or amortizable operating assets, purchased research and development, M&A related expenses and unrealized gains/losses from hedging activities. Excluded from the definition are pension gains, impairment of goodwill charges, gains or losses from asset sales, reversal of prior-year charges and provision from litigation or insurance settlements.
S&P 12 Month Target Price: The S&P equity analyst’s projection of the market price a given security will command 12 months hence, based on a combination of intrinsic, relative, and private market valuation metrics.
Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services: Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services U.S. includes Standard & Poor’s Investment Advisory Services LLC; Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services Europe includes Standard & Poor’s LLC- London and Standard & Poor’s AB (Sweden); Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services Asia includes Standard & Poor’s LLC’s offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.
Required Disclosures
In the U.S.
As of September 30, 2005, research analysts at Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services U.S. have recommended 28.7% of issuers with buy recommendations, 60.3% with hold recommendations and 11.0% with sell recommendations.
In Europe
As of September 30, 2005, research analysts at Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services Europe have recommended 34.8% of issuers with buy recommendations, 44.8% with hold recommendations and 20.4% with sell recommendations.
In Asia
As of September 30, 2005, research analysts at Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services Asia have recommended 28.1% of issuers with buy recommendations, 51.1% with hold recommendations and 20.8% with sell recommendations.