Best High Dividend Companies For 2014

Tobacco companies have always offered high dividends, and have been associated with strong balance sheets. Lorillard (LO), despite hailing from an unhealthy industry, is poised to continue raising its safely maintained dividends. The company will find plenty of tobacco huffers in the developing world, if it can build out its international presence. Below is some insight into the company.

Lorillard�� flagship brands include Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, Blu electronic cigarettes (e- cigs) and the recently acquired British e-cig brand SKYCIG. Lorillard's flagship cigarette Newport is by far the most popular brand of mentholated cigarettes. Lorillard produces cigarettes for both the premium and discount segments of the domestic cigarette market. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, increase in stock price during the past year and expanding profit margins.

Good Numbers

Lorillard's performance has been boosted by strength across the tobacco sector. Yield-starved investors look to tobacco stocks for their hefty dividend yields to generate income for their portfolios.

5 Best Freight Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sigma Labs Inc (SGLB)

Sigma Labs, Inc., incorporated on December 23, 1985, has two wholly-owned subsidiaries, B6 Sigma, Inc. and Sumner & Lawrence Limited (dba Sumner Associates). B6 Sigma, Inc. (B6 Sigma) develops precision manufacturing solutions and advanced materials technologies, as well as Reasearch and Development solutions for first-tier integrators and other commercial firms worldwide. Sumner Associates provide consultants to Federal government and commercial clients seeking productive solutions for development technologies. As of December 31, 2012, the Company is engaged in a range of activities, in which it seek to commercialize technologies and products in the industry sectors, which include in process quality assurance for manufacturing; aerospace and defense manufacturing; additive manufacturing; active protection systems for defending light armored vehicles; advanced materials for munitions; advanced materials for sporting goods; advanced manufacturing technologies, and dental implant and biomedical prosthetics technologies.

Sumner & Lawrence Limited (Sumner), based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, provides consulting services to the public sector, especially with regard to emerging technologies and alternative applications of established technologies. Sumner holds ongoing contracts with government agencies and the appropriate levels of security clearance for those contracts. Sumner's clients include the State Department, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, various military services and affiliated agencies, the National Laboratories, and contractors to these organizations.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  For veteran traders who've kept tabs on Sigma Labs Inc. (OTCMKTS:SGLB) over the past three months or so, it may be surprising to hear someone suggest it as a buy. Like so many other stocks of its ilk have done since the beginning of the organized market, SGLB went from (proverbially) zero to hero between late May and mid-July with a move from $0.025 to a peak of $0.118 only to fall back to the $0.04 level a couple of weeks later. It's the relatively common "one hit wonder", and if Sigma Labs followed the usual pattern of other small stocks that burned brilliantly for a few days, we wouldn't see anything particularly bullish from SGLB for a few months, if not years.

Best High Dividend Companies For 2014: Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc.(PCRX)

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, engages in the development, commercialization, and manufacture of pharmaceutical products for use in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. The company develops pharmaceutical products based on its proprietary DepoFoam drug delivery technology. Its product portfolio includes EXPAREL, a long-acting non-opioid postsurgical analgesic for postsurgical pain management; DepoCyt for the treatment of lymphomatous meningitis, a cancer of the immune system; DepoDur for controlling post operative pain; DepoNSAID, which is in preclinical trials for the relief of acute pain; and DepoMethotrexate that is in preclinical trials for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis oncology. The company was formerly known as Pacira, Inc. and changed its name to Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in October 2010. Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jay Silverman]

  So, first off Jay, congratulations. Among the 81 top picks in the 2013 report, The Medical Technology Stock Letter had the second best performing stock, Pacira Pharmaceuticals (PCRX), which was up 180%. Could you tell us a little about the company and the reasoning behind that original recommendation?

Best High Dividend Companies For 2014: Ixia(XXIA)

Ixia supplies converged network and application performance testing solutions in the United States and internationally. It designs and validates a range of Internet protocol (IP) and third generation/long-term evolution networking equipment. The company?s solutions generate realistic traffic to stress routers, switches, and converged network appliances. It provides converged IP test systems and services for wireless and wired infrastructures and services. Ixia serves network equipment manufacturers, service providers, enterprises, and government agencies. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Calabasas, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Ixia (NASDAQ: XXIA) shares lost 2.36 percent to $11.59 after the company reported its Q4 earnings of $0.15 per share on revenue of $120.60 million. Ixia now expected Q1 sales of $109.0 million to $113.0 million.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of Ixia (NASDAQ: XXIA  ) got crushed today, down by 25% at the low, after the company announced preliminary results.

  So what: Revenue in the second quarter is expected in the range of $114 million to $116 million, shy of Ixia's previous guidance that was calling for $119 million to $122 million. The silver lining was that revenue from recent acquisitions is expected at the high end of guidance of $28 million to $32 million.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Ixia (NASDAQ: XXIA) shares tumbled 1.68 percent to $11.67 after the company reported its Q4 earnings of $0.15 per share on revenue of $120.60 million. Ixia now expected Q1 sales of $109.0 million to $113.0 million.

Best High Dividend Companies For 2014: PetroChina Company Limited(PTR)

PetroChina Company Limited produces and distributes oil and gas in the People?s Republic of China. It operates in four segments: Exploration and Production, Refining and Chemicals, Marketing, and Natural Gas and Pipeline. The Exploration and Production segment explores, develops, produces, and markets crude oil and natural gas, oilsands, and coalbed methane. As of December 31, 2010, it had 11,278 million barrels of proved reserves of crude oil; and 65,503 billion cubic feet of proved reserves of natural gas. The Refining and Chemicals segment engages in the refining of crude oil and petroleum products; and production and marketing of petrochemical products, derivative petrochemical products, and other chemical products. This segment?s product line comprises processed crude oil, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, ethylene, synthetic resins, synthetic fiber materials, polymers, synthetic rubber, and urea. The Marketing segment involves in the marketing of refined products and tradi ng businesses. It operated 17,996 service stations. The Natural Gas and Pipeline segment engages in the transmission of natural gas, crude oil, and refined products; and the sale of natural gas. It had a total length of 56,840 kilometers (km) of oil and gas pipelines, including 32,801 km of natural gas pipelines, 14,782 km of crude oil pipelines, and 9,257 km of refined product pipelines. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. PetroChina Company Limited is a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  The auction news isn't good for investors in Brazil's Petrobras (PBR), but it could well be a boon for China and Chinese oil companies such as PetroChina (PTR) and CNOOC (CEO).

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  At the same time, having an OPEC-type price controller would certainly limit how much the U.S. could potentially export at an economically feasible level. Gazprom signed a 30-year deal with PetroChina (NYSE: PTR  ) that will supply the Chinese company with 3.7 billion cubic feet per day of gas starting in 2018, just about the same time when the majority of the other major LNG facilities around the world are expected to come on line. If Russia could get some of these natural gas exporting countries to sign on to this "OPEC of gas" idea, it could change the game.�

Best High Dividend Companies For 2014: Harris & Harris Group Inc.(TINY)

Harris & Harris Group, Inc. is a venture capital and venture debt firm specializing in seed, start up, early stage, and mid venture investments. It primarily invests in tiny-technology-enabled companies with a focus on nanotechnology, microsystems, and microelectromechanical systems technology. Harris & Harris Group, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is based in New York, New York with additional offices in Palo Alto, California and Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  Highlight: Harris & Harris Group Inc. (TINY)

  The TINY share price is currently $3.07 or 22.1% off the 52-week high of $3.94. The company does not pay a dividend.

Best High Dividend Companies For 2014: Nuveen Virginia Premium Income Municipal Fund (NPV)

Nuveen Virginia Premium Income Municipal Fund is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc. The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of Virginia. The fund invests primarily in municipal securities rated Baa/BBB or better. It invests in securities that provide income exempt from federal and Virginia income tax. The fund employs fundamental analysis with bottom-up stock picking approach to create its portfolio. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the S&P National Municipal Bond Index and the S&P Virginia Municipal Bond Index. Nuveen Virginia Premium Income Municipal Fund was formed on January 12, 1993 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Carnevale]

  Moreover, at this point I would like to add that the real meaning of forecasting future earnings is so we can determine what the size and amount of the future cash flows that a stock under consideration might be capable of generating for us. This is important, because assessing the net present value of our expected future income stream, is at the heart of determining fair value (intrinsic value). Calculating net present value (NPV) is functionally-related to today's wide utilization of discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis as a stock selection tool. I will elaborate more on this important metric in part B of this article.

Best High Dividend Companies For 2014: M.D.C. Holdings Inc. (MDC)

M.D.C. Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in homebuilding and financial services businesses in the United States. Its homebuilding business activities include the purchase of finished lots or development of lots for the construction and sale of single-family detached homes to first-time and first-time move-up homebuyers under the Richmond American Homes name. The company�s financial services business activities comprise the origination of mortgage loans primarily for homebuyers; provision of third-party insurance products to homebuyers; and title agency services to homebuyers in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, and Virginia. It also provides insurance coverage on homes sold and for work performed in completed subdivisions; and re-insures the claims. M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1972 and is based in Denver, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Buckingham, Chief Investment Officer, Al Frank Asset Management, Inc. (AFAM)]

  MDC Holdings (MDC) is a builder and seller of homes in California, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Arizona, and Nevada under the name Richmond American Homes, and an originator of mortgage loans for home buyers.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  MDC Holdings (NYSE: MDC  ) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 30. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict MDC Holdings's revenues will grow 48.0% and EPS will expand 145.5%.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  MDC Holdings (NYSE: MDC) shares fell 1.16% to touch a new 52-week low of $25.60. MDC Holdings' PEG ratio is 3.14.

  PDF Solutions (NASDAQ: PDFS) shares reached a new 52-week low of $12.91. PDF Solutions updated the status of certain contracts and announced the effect of the change in status on previously deferred costs and expected revenues.