4 Top Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now
With markets falling in line after a three-day rally, dividend stocks could be coming into focus in the stock market. After all, as investors slow their roll today, dividend stocks could be an increasingly attractive option. This would be the case as dividend stocks are often considered a safe haven by investors in times of volatility. With concerns over the Omicron variant and today’s improving jobless claims data to consider, investors are understandably playing looking for more stability. Notably, this would be where some of the best dividend stocks in the stock market today come into play.
On one hand, the latest data on the Omicron Covid variant is mostly mixed. According to experts in Japan, the new variant is reportedly 4.2 times more contagious than its predecessor, the Delta variant. According to Hiroshi Nishiura, a professor of health and environmental sciences at Kyoto University, “The omicron variant transmits more, and escapes immunity built naturally and through vaccines more.” While the study has yet to be peer-reviewed, investors are likely already considering their options on this news.
Given all of this, top dividend stocks like PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) could be turning heads now. Elsewhere, even tech giants like Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) are offering attractive dividends. Earlier this week, the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.62 a share. By and large, if investors are looking for more defensive plays in the market. In this case, dividend stocks could be go-to’s given their generally stable growth and consistent payouts. Nevertheless, dividend stocks remain a viable play for those looking to diversify their portfolios beyond risk assets. With that said, could one of these top dividend stocks be worth watching now?
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy [Or Sell] In December 2021
- Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE)
- Kinder Morgan Inc. (NYSE: KMI)
- Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA)
- Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO)
Nike Inc.
Nike is a dividend company that designs and manufactures authentic athletic apparel, footwear, and equipment for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. In fact, the company is one of the largest suppliers of athletic apparel in the world. Its subsidiaries include the Jordan Brand and also Converse, its lifestyle brand. On November 18, the company announced that its Board of Directors have approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.305 per share. This would represent an 11% increase versus the prior quarterly dividend.
Ahead of its second-quarter financials on December 20, 2021, how has the company been doing financially? In September, Nike reported its first-quarter financials. Revenue for the quarter was $12.2 billion, increasing by 16% compared to a year earlier. Notably, its Nike Direct sales were $4.7 billion, increasing by 28% year-over-year. Furthermore, its digital sales increased by 29% year-over-year. The company also posted a diluted earnings per share of $1.16 for the quarter, up by 22%. Given this piece of news, is NKE stock worth investing in right now?
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Kinder Morgan
Next, we have Kinder Morgan, one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. It owns an interest in or operates over 80,000 miles of pipelines and 144 terminals. Its pipelines transport everything from natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, and carbon dioxide among others. Its terminals store and handle petroleum products and chemicals among others. The company declared a dividend of $0.27 per share in October.
On Monday, the company announced its preliminary 2022 financial projections. Diving in, the company expects to generate $1.09 of net income attributable to KMI per share, up by $0.33 compared to its current 2021 forecast. It also expects to generate $7.2 billion of adjusted EBITDA for the year. Kinder Morgan will also invest $1.3 billion in expansion projects and contributions to joint ventures, or discretionary capital expenditures in 2022. “For 2022, with our market fundamentals remaining robust, a full year of earnings from our Stagecoach acquisition, and the completion of several projects in the fourth quarter of 2021, we project a very strong year,” said Steve Kean, KMI chief executive officer. Given the outlook, will you consider adding KMI stock to your portfolio?
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Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is a holding company that owns the retail pharmacy chains Walgreens and Boots. The company is a global leader in retail pharmacy and continues to meet customer needs through its convenient retail locations, digital platforms, and health and beauty products. Its portfolio of retail brands includes Duane Reade in the U.S. and Benavides in Mexico. Last month, the company declared a dividend of $0.4775 per stock.
In late November, the company announced an agreement with McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK) to acquire the remaining 30% share of their GEHE Pharma Handel and Alliance Healthcare Deutschland joint venture. Following this transaction, WBA will become the 100% owner of the combined GEHE and Alliance Healthcare businesses in Germany. This acquisition will allow WBA to further strengthen its position as a leading pharmaceutical wholesaler in Germany. With that being said, is WBA stock worth buying today?
Broadcom Inc.
Last but not least, we have a semiconductor manufacturing firm Broadcom. For the most part, the company focuses on designing, developing, and marketing semiconductor and infrastructure software products. Through its core offerings, Broadcom caters to a wide array of end markets. This includes but is not limited to the data center, networking, wireless, and broadband fields. As the global semiconductor chip shortage persists, AVGO stock could be worth keeping an eye on. Now, the company’s shares are currently sitting on gains of over 35% year-to-date.
Regardless of all this, Broadcom does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. As of yesterday, the company is now planning to acquire AppNeta, a Boston-based computer software firm. More importantly, AppNeta specializes in network performance monitoring solutions. In other words, this means that the company offers enterprises visibility into their respective end-user experiences throughout apps. Naturally, all of this is regardless of location and time. By integrating Broadcom’s scalable end-to-end visibility software and its infrastructure capabilities, Broadcom brings a lot to the table. With a quarterly dividend of $3.60 per share, could AVGO stock be a major dividend stock to consider?
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