Dividend Stocks to Crush the Market

Although it's nice to get paid to invest, it's not just the fact that Wal-Mart and the other analysts' suggestions pay a dividend, it's what that often indicates. As Income Investor advisor James Early said, he's trying to make his readers as much money as possible, "and study after study proves that dividends make that happen -- and give you the option of reinvesting to pursue bigger gains or taking the money as it comes. One study from Ned Davis Research shows that from 1972 to 2006, S&P 500 stocks not paying a dividend returned a measly 4.1% annualized. Dividend payers, meanwhile, returned a whopping 10.1% annually!"

A dividend is often a sign of a company's overall health. Wal-Mart and the others mentioned below certainly don't have the highest yields on the market, but they are all strong businesses that are well-positioned for steady growth and seem poised to increase their dividends. It's not a ranking nor a definitive, exhaustive list, but these are a handful of companies that make Foolish investors smile, either as investments right now or to keep an eye on.

Source: Motley Fool

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