Business Development Companies, or “BDCs,” basically provide financing (debt and equity) to private companies that are usually a bit too risky for ordinary banks to work with (due especially to stringent post-financial crisis regulatory rules). However, by building a portfolio of these companies, BDCs can reduce risks, and pay income-focused investors the big dividend yields that they love. This report provides an overview of current BDC valuations, and then reviews five of our favorite BDCs, currently yielding 6.0%, 9.1%, 8.2%, 8.1% and 8.5%, respectively.
Data Center REIT: Growing Dividend to Benefit from Ongoing Digital Transformation
If you are looking for a steady growing dividend (and the potential for continuing long-term share price appreciation) the data center REIT we review in this report is attractive. For starters, it has raised its dividend (current yield is 2.9%) for 16 straight years (since its IPO) thanks to steady growth in its funds from operations (~11% CAGR since 2005). And even though core FFO per share declined in 2020 (pandemic year) it is on pace to bounce back in 2021. Further, it will continue to benefit from the massive ongoing secular digital transformation. In this report, we review the business, valuation, dividend safety, risks and then conclude with our opinion on investing.
Top 10 Dividend Growth Stocks: Give Yourself a Raise
For income-focused investors, “yield chasing” is one of the most common and most painful mistakes. Instead, focusing on stocks with healthy growing dividends can be a much better approach. In this report, we rank our top 10 dividend growth stocks (those with at least 10 consecutive calendar years of dividend increases), including a healthy mix of higher (above 5%) and lower (below 5%) dividend yield opportunities. We start the countdown with #10 and finish with our #1 top idea.
Attractive 5.3% Yield REIT: Compelling Valuation
The net lease REIT we review in this report has come through the pandemic largely unscathed thanks to the mission-critical nature of it properties for its tenants. It also has an impressive dividend history, with consecutive annual increases since going public in 1998. Looking ahead, this REIT has multiple growth catalysts that should help it continue its impressive track record. In this report, we review the health of the business, valuation, risks, dividend safety, and then conclude with our opinion on investing—particularly if you are a long-term income-focused investor that also likes growth.
Stable Cash Flow Giant: Attractive 8.5% Yield
Headquartered in Canada, this midstream company operates the world’s largest oil and natural gas pipeline network (transporting about 25% of overall crude oil produced in North America). Approximately 98% of the revenue is derived from long term cost-of-service or take-or-pay contracts with automatic escalators leading to predictable cash flows across business cycles which in turn allows for consistent dividends. The company has been actively investing in upgrading and expanding its pipeline networks while also taking small steps towards greener alternatives to reduce its carbon footprint. In this report, we analyze the business model, market opportunity, financials, valuations, risks, and finally, conclude whether an investment in the company’s stock offers an attractive balance between risks and rewards.
Exxon Mobil: Despite Woke Mob, 5.9% Yield Tempting
Luckily for the planet, the widespread use of fossil fuel is likely to end. Just not anytime soon. And as a true fiduciary should, Exxon Mobil remains committed to growing long-term shareholder value—despite relentless pressures from the climate-change woke mob. In this report, we review Exxon Mobil’s business strategy, climate change pressures, dividend safety, valuation and risks. We conclude with our opinion on investing.
New Options Trade: Very High Upfront Income, Bullish Vertical Put Spread
This report reviews an attractive high-income-generating options trade on a compelling long-term fintech business (Warren Buffett and Cathie Wood are both shareholders). The trade generates attractive upfront premium income, and gives you a shot at picking up shares of this attractive business at a lower price. We believe the trade is an attractive one to place today, and potentially over the next few trading sessions, as long as the price of the underlying shares doesn’t move too dramatically.
Dry Bulk Shipper: 6.4% Yield, Attractive Supply-Demand Dynamic
There is a lot to like about this large dry bulk shipper, not the least of which is its attractive 6.4% dividend yield. More specifically, the company is benefiting from a cyclical rebound in dry bulk shipping rates, on both the supply and demand sides. It’s expected to announce earnings on August 5th, and its 8.0% yield baby bonds are expected to be called at the end of this month. In this report, we review the business, market conditions, prospects, valuation and risks, and then conclude with our opinion on investing.
New Options Trade: Dividend Capture Covered Calls, Blue Chip Pharma
Today we share an income-generating options trade on a healthy-dividend blue-chip pharmaceuticals company. The trade not only generates compelling premium income and gives you a shot at selling the shares at a solid gain in less than 1-month, but it also gives you a chance to capture the dividend payment if the shares don’t get called away from you before the ex-dividend date in a little over 1-week from today. Also very important, we like this healthy-dividend company as a long-term investment, and we wouldn’t mind holding on to the shares if they don’t get called away. This is an attractive trade to place today and potentially over the next few trading sessions.
New Options Trade: High Upfront Income, Attractive Mortgage REIT
As interest rates (including mortgage rates) have slipped in recent weeks, so too has the share price of this attractive mortgage REIT fallen. It now trades at a significant discount to its last reported book value, and we believe this combination of events has set us up for a nice high-income-generating options trade. Specifically, we believe the trade described in this report is an attractive one to place today and potentially over the next few trading sessions, as long as the underlying share price doesn’t move too dramatically before then.
New Options Trade: Dividend Capture Covered Calls, Energy Midstream
Today’s income-generating options trade utilizes a dividend capture covered call strategy, whereby the trades nets you attractive premium income, potentially attractive dividend income (if the shares don’t get called), and captures attractive share price gains (if the shares do get called). The trade is on a compelling “high-dividend” midstream company that we own already, but you can also purchase the shares as part of this trade if you don’t own them already. We believe the trade is attractive to place today, and potentially over the next few days, as long as the share price doesn’t move too dramatically, and as long as you own the shares (settled in your account) prior to the ex-dividend date (expected on or around July 29th).
Very High-Income Options Trade, Bullish Vertical Put Spread
This global oncology company with patented “Tumor Treating Fields” (“TTF”) technology. It has multiple programs in phase 2 and phase 3 of clinical trials which can potentially result in exponential revenue growth and Total Addressable Market (“TAM”) expansion. The shares are volatile (for example yesterday they declined more than 14% as the market reacted to the company’s final results from a liver cancer study), and this volatility has given rise to an attractive high-income-generating options trade. The trade strategy sounds complex (i.e. “bullish vertical put spread”), but it’s not. It puts attractive upfront premium in your pocket today, it gives you a chance to pick up shares of this attractive stock at a lower price, and it gives you a little insurance on the downside (i.e. your max loss is limited). We believe this is an attractive trade to place today—and potentially over the next few trading sessions (including post the holiday)—as long as the underlying share price doesn’t move too dramatically before then.
7.7% Yield: A Rare BDC Offering Dividend Growth, Equity Upside
While other business development companies (“BDCs”) were cutting their dividends as a result of the pandemic, the big-dividend payer we review in this report not only maintained theirs, but has also significantly increased it in each of the past four quarters. Moreover, the shares are trading at an attractive discount to net asset value (“NAV”). In this report, we review the health of the business, the highly-experienced management team, its balance sheet, liquidity, dividend safety, valuation and risks. We conclude with our opinion on investing.
New Options Trade: High Upfront Income, Attractive Business
The company we review in this report provides value-based care exclusively to Medicare eligible patients, and it is improving outcomes and reducing costs. The business is attractive as a long-term investment, however it is setting up nicely for a high-income-generating options trade. We believe the trade described in this report is an attractive one to place today and potentially over the next few trading sessions, as long as the underlying share price doesn’t move too dramatically before then.
Top 10 High-Income CEFs (5.2% to 9.4% Yields)
If you like high-income investments, this report reviews our top 10 high-income closed-end funds (“CEFs”) with annual yields ranging from over 5.0% to over 9.0% (many of them paid monthly). The opportunities range from bond funds to style-specific equities, and we consider the distribution yields, premiums/discounts (versus NAV), investment strategies (versus current market opportunities), fees, risks and more. We currently use a handful of CEFs within our prudently concentrated Income Equity portfolio (along with other attractive income opportunities, such as dividend-growth stocks, REITs, BDCs and more), and if you are an income-focused investor—the CEF names on this list are very attractive and worth considering. Without further ado, here are the details on our top 10 high-income CEFs.
PIMCO's Big-Yield CEFs: Cracks in the Dam? (PCI) (PDI) (PKO)
Income-hungry investors flock to PIMCO’s fixed-income closed-end funds for multiple reasons, including the big yields (often in excess of 9.0%), monthly payments, and sometimes even the ridiculously low prices (as we wrote about here and here). And while some investors are reassured by PIMCO’s track record of no distribution cuts in several of their most popular funds (for example (PDI), (PCI) and (PKO)), there is a lot more going on under the hood, and the recently proposed merger between these funds could be a little window dressing by the firm as the track of no distribution cuts may be in jeopardy. In this report, we pull back the curtains on these funds to reveal a little bit about how the sausage is made, and then conclude with our opinion on whether they still make for good investments, or if it is time to move on to new opportunities.
Palantir: Selling Put Options, Lots of Cash
Big data software company Palantir has become an emotional stock for many people with widely ranging viewpoints. And these differing viewpoints have created volatility that leads to high premium income (i.e. cash) being available in the options market. In this report, we share a high income-generating options trade on Palantir that we believe is attractive to place today and potentially over the next few trading sessions, as long as the price of the underlying shares doesn’t move too widely before then.
New Options Trade: Very High Upfront Income, Connected TV
The market has not been kind to top growth stocks in recent months, and that means there are some very attractive businesses trading at very attractive prices. But rather than diving in headfirst, this report reviews an option trade that generates very high upfront premium income (that you get to keep no matter what) and it gives you a shot at picking up shares of one of the top growth stocks around at an even lower price. This trade covers a stock in the connected TV space, and we believe the trade is attractive to place today—and potentially over the next few trading days—as long as the market doesn’t move too dramatically before then.
Undervalued 5.4% Yield Midstream: Decreasing Leverage, Increasing Distributions Expected
One of the largest and most diversified midstream pipeline operators in the US, the company we review in this report is focused on deleveraging its balance sheet and positioning for future distribution increases. And despite the recent strong price gains, the company continues to trade at discount to peers and has more upside ahead considering the healthy fundamentals. In this report, we review the health of the business, valuation, risks, dividend safety, and conclude with our opinion on investing.
Top 10 Big Dividends: Income Ahead of Inflation
If you are an income-focused investor, you’re likely concerned about the combination of low yields and inflation. For example, with the 10-year US treasury offering less than 1.5% yield, and growing inflation threatening to devalue your nest egg, you’re likely looking for differentiated investment opportunities that don’t involve too much risk. One strategy worth considering is to assemble a wide-ranging portfolio of investments (wide-ranging to help you diversify away a lot of the big risks) that also provides higher yields and will help keep you ahead of inflation. In this report, we share our top 10 Big Dividends to help you identify opportunities that might fit the bill for you.