Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Nike Inc. (NKE). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Nike Inc. is the world's leading designer and marketer of high-quality athletic footwear, athletic apparel and accessories.

Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value (see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description):

1. Avg. High Yield Price
2. 20-Year DCF Price
3. Avg. P/E Price
4. Graham Number

NKE is trading at a premium to all four valuations above. The stock is trading at a 79.2% premium to its calculated fair value of $42.24. NKE did not earn any Stars in this section.

Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics (see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description):

1. Free Cash Flow Payout
2. Debt To Total Capital
3. Key Metrics
4. Dividend Growth Rate
5. Years of Div. Growth
6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15%

Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: CenturyLink Inc.(CTL)

CenturyLink, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated communications company. The company provides a range of communications services, including voice, Internet, data, and video services in the continental United States. Its services include local exchange and long distance voice telephone services, as well as enhanced voice services, such as call forwarding, caller identification, conference calling, voicemail, selective call ringing, and call waiting; wholesale local network access services; and data services, including high-speed Internet access services, data transmission services over special circuits and private lines, and switched digital television services, as well as special access and private line services. The company also offers fiber transport, competitive local exchange carrier, security monitoring, and other communications, as well as professional and business information services. In addition, it provides other related services, such as leasing, selling, installing, and maintaining customer premise telecommunications equipment and wiring; payphone services; and network database services, as well as participates in the publication of local telephone directories. Further, the company offers printing, direct mail services, and cable television services; and wireless broadband Internet access services and satellite television services. As of December 31, 2010, it operated approximately 6.5 million telephone access lines. CenturyLink, Inc was founded in 1968 and is based in Monroe, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  CenturyLink (CTL) has risen 2.9% to $39.90 after the telecom company reported Street-beating earnings and offering guidance that was in line with analyst forecasts.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: Cellcom Israel Ltd.(CEL)

Cellcom Israel Ltd. provides cellular communications services in Israel. It offers basic and advanced cellular telephone services, text and multimedia messaging services, and advanced cellular content and data services. The company?s basic cellular telephony services include voice mail, cellular fax, call waiting, call forwarding, caller identification, collect call, conference calling, ?Talk 2?, additional number services, and collect call services; and outbound and inbound roaming services. It also provides value-added services comprising Cellcom volume that includes downloadable content, such as music, games, on-net-reality programs, drama series, and video games; SMS and MMS services to send and receive text, photos, multimedia, and animation messages; access to third party application providers for notification of roadway speed detectors, mange vehicle fleets, and enable subscribers to manage and operate time clocks and various controllers for industrial, agricultural , and commercial purposes; video calls to communicate with each other through video applications; zone services for calls initiated from a specific location; location-based services; voice-based information services; text-based information services and interactive information services, including news headlines, sports results, and traffic and weather reports; and data services to access handsets, cellular modems, laptops, tablets, and cellular routers, as well as Internet based payment services. In addition, the company sells handsets, modems, routers, tablets, and laptops, as well as provides repair and replacement services; and offers landline telephony, transmission, and data services through its approximately 1,500 kilometers of inland fiber-optic infrastructure and complementary microwave links to selected business customers. As of March 31, 2011, it provided its services to approximately 3.395 million subscribers. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Netanya, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Cellcom Israel (NYSE: CEL  ) is getting a new CFO.

  Following the company's successful merger with Netvision, current Chief Financial Officer Yaacov Heen is declaring his mission accomplished, and says he intends to resign his post on Sept. 17 after 16 years with the company. At that time, Cellcom says it will bring on Shlomi Fruhling, the former VP for strategy and finance at Netvision, to become the merged company's new CFO on Sept. 18.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Earnings from McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) are due out next week, and investors should prepare themselves for the worst. After a brief spring thaw in April when comparable sales barely managed to break even with last year's results, they turned south again the following month and all signs are pointing to another dismal performance.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: Windstream Corporation(WIN)

Windstream Corporation provides communications and technology solutions in the United States. The company offers various solutions, including IP-based voice and data services, multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) networking, data center and managed services, hosting services, and communications systems to businesses and government agencies. It also provides high-speed Internet, voice, and digital television services to residential customers primarily located in rural areas. The company?s data services include data center and managed hosting, MPLS networking, and dedicated access, as well as high-speed Internet to business customers; integrated solutions consist of multiple voice and data services delivered over an IP connection; voice services comprise local and long distance, call waiting, caller identification, and voicemail; and special access services include point-to-point switching arrangements for voice and data traffic. In addition, it provides wholesale services, which primarily include voice and data services on a wholesale basis to other carriers; usage sensitive services to long distance companies; and other local exchange carriers for access to the network in connection with the completion of long-distance calls, as well as reciprocal compensation received from wireless and other local connecting carriers for the use of its facilities. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 3.3 million access lines, 1.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and operated approximately 60,000 fiber route miles. Windstream Corporation is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Shares of Cyan slumped 25% to $3.86 premarket after the company drastically cut its fourth-quarter revenue expectations due to a sharp drop in orders from the company’s largest customer, Windstream Holdings Inc.(WIN) Cyan is a provider of software-defined networking and packet-optical platforms for network operators.

• [By David Dittman]

  Question: Windstream Holdings Inc (NYSE: WIN) has moved up significantly since your ��ell��recommendation. What is the reason? Short covering? The company continues to support the dividend. What is your expectation?

• [By David Dittman]

  Question: What about Windstream Holdings Inc (NYSE: WIN)?

  Answer: I sold Windstream from the UF Income Portfolio and the PF Income Portfolio after the stock showed significant weakness ahead of management’s dividend declaration in early February. Windstream held its quarterly dividend rate at $0.25 per share.

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  One of the day’s biggest movers was�Windstream Holdings (WIN), which surged more than 20% before settling up 12% Tuesday after the high-yielding telecom company said it would spin off assets into a real estate investment trust�(covered on our income blog). The REIT news carried other telecom names higher:� local phone companies�CenturyLink�(CTL) and�Frontier Communications�(FTR), shot up 5.8% and 14.3% respectively. And telecom giants got a lift too:�Verizon Communications�(VZ) rose 0.76%, while�AT&T�(T) climbed 2.6%. �Telecom exchange-traded funds also rallied on the REIT news.