Calling all dividend divas: There is a huge slug of dividends coming this week, with most set for Tuesday. So, this is an emergency edition of the Dividend Diva to get you set up to capture some of these. The wave of dividends about to roll over us this week all meet my general criteria of attractiveness:
1. They are in industry groups that do not "trade" on the dividend.
2. They are large enough, but not too large, so that they are worth playing but do not entail undue risk.
3. They are in groups I play on a regular basis, such as the tobaccos, so I have a feel for how they trade and are comfortable with them.
4. As a group, they cover a broad industry cross-section, so you get the diversification value you need.
Here is the list of upcoming dividends I am playing, with quick comments. All of these go ex-dividend on Tuesday, so you must buy them today in order to capture the payout.
Blackstone (BX), 1.46%: It's trading at large discount to the asset-management group, which is supporting the stock in the near-term.
Altria Group (MO), 1.35%: Reaffirmed annual guidance at CAGNY last month, with legal wins for group.
Merck (MRK), 1.12%: Issued modest downside guidance for the first quarter. Stock is down, so bad news is "in it."
NYSE Euronext (NYX), 1.02%: Announced down volumes in February. Like Merck, bad news is "in it" for now.
Garmin (GRMN), 0.84%: Company has $2.5 billion in cash, with plenty of growth in esoteric segments (fitness, helicopter).
Coca Cola (KO), 0.73%: Recently boosted its dividend -- yet again!
