dividend stocks

Here's a quick look at some of the top performing health care stocks, year to date. These stocks all have a market cap of more than $1 billion and all pay a dividend. Baxter International (NYSE: BAX) is more than 11% higher than a month ago, and more than 17% higher than a year ago. The company...

Here's a quick look at some of the top performing dividend stocks, year to date, that have a market cap of $1 billion or less. E-House (China) Holdings (NYSE: EJ) shares are trading about 38% higher year to date despite pulling back more than 4% last week. The real estate company announced in...

Here's a quick look at some of the top performing dividend stocks, year to date, that are listed on the Nasdaq. CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) is almost 26% higher year to date, more than 12% just in the past week. Shares surged after the company posted better-than-expected quarterly results that...

The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 all closed up less than 1% yesterday, but plenty of stocks rose to 52-week highs in the trading session. Among them were Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) and Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), which reached multiyear highs of $47.28 and $60.45 per share, respectively. Starbucks' new...

The Dow and the S&P 500 both closed down less than 1% on Friday, but were higher than at the start of last week. Also on Friday, in a positive sign for the housing sector, homebuilder DR Horton (NYSE: DHI) and home-improvement retailer Home Depot (NYSE: HD) managed to reach 52-week highs -- of...

Here's a quick look at nine of the best-performing stocks of the past year that also had dividend yields of 2% or more. Advance America, Cash Advance Centers (NYSE: AEA) shares ended the year almost 65% higher, despite a recent pullback from the 52-week high. The company recently completed the...

Here's a quick look at nine of the best-performing utilities stocks of the past year. Atlas Energy (NYSE: ATLS) is up more than 65% year to date, as well as up almost 90% from the 52-low in October. The Pennsylvania-based natural gas processor announced in October the formation of an MLP focused...

The Dow and the S&P 500 closed up less than 1% yesterday after being lower most of the day. But big-box retailers Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) again reached new multiyear highs -- of $42.05 and $59.66 per share, respectively -- during the trading session. Home Depot has been...

The stocks of the following dividend-paying companies are trading more than 20% higher than six months ago and all are within shouting distance of their 52-week highs. B&G Foods (NYSE: BGS): The New Jersey-based maker of shelf-stable foods, such as Cream of Wheat and Joan of Arc brands,...

Ending a strong week in the stock market, big-box store operators Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) and Home Depot (NYSE: HD) reached new multiyear highs of $88.68 and $40.46 per share, respectively, in Friday's trading session. Costco is expected to post double-digit EPS and revenue growth when it...

While the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 all fell more than 2% on Friday, utility companies ITC Holdings (NYSE: ITC) and Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN) reached new 52-week highs of $78.89 and $52.42 per share, respectively. Michigan-based ITC Holdings' Green Power Express project, a “high-voltage...

While the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 all fell more than 2% on Friday, utility companies Dominion Resources (NYSE: D) and Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) reached new 52-week highs of $51.44 and $20.21 per share, respectively. Dominion Resources has paid a dividend every year since at least 1983. But the...

With all the volatility in the past couple of months, which stocks have been riding above it all? Well, here are nine dividend-paying companies with share prices that are more than 20% higher than three months ago. Perhaps not surprisingly, gold-related companies are well represented on the list....

Nordson (NASDAQ: NDSN) is scheduled to report third-quarter fiscal 2011 results today, August 18, after the closing bell. While the industrial equipment maker posted record second-quarter results, the outlook for the third quarter disappointed analysts and some investors at the time. Now, analysts...

So maybe you got out of the market when things got crazy, and you are looking to put a toe back in the water now that stocks have largely rebounded. Or perhaps you have been riding out the volatility but thinking you ought to diversify a little more. Well, here is a quick look at some options. They...