Dividend Growth Stock Analysis: Wal-mart

Since I live in the city I'm not able to go to Wal-mart (WMT) to do my shopping very often. Of course there are several in the surrounding metropolitan area so I get the opportunity from time-to-time. Honestly I don't like the idea of going to them because the store is always crowded (no matter what time it is) but once I'm inside I'm amazed at the time and money I end up spending. I don't think I've ever come out of a Wal-mart store with only what I went there looking for. When something like that happens you know it's a good business and one that should be around for a very long time. I had this realization a few years back and was lucky enough to purchase shares of Wal-mart for under $50 / share. Let's take a look and see if the company still rates as a good dividend growth buy today:  READ MORE

Dividend Stock Analysis: Altria (MO)

I'm not sure there is a company that has created more wealth for investors over the past 40 years than Altria Group (formerly known as Philip Morris).  Between the dividends they collectively paid and companies that they've spun-off (Miller Brewing Company, Kraft Foods, and Philip Morris International) you would have made a great deal of money being a long-term shareholder.  Of course in hindsight investing we're all millionaires.  What we're concerned about is can Altria continue creating that type of wealth for its investors, or has its heyday passed by.  Altria is the latest stock I put through my analysis that was recently posted on SeekingAlpha.com.

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Side note:  When a stock like Altria creates so much wealth for shareholders it also can create a lot of loyalty.  As you will see in some of the comments on my post, these loyal shareholders don't take to kindly to my analysis of Altria as a future dividend growth stock.

Dividend Stock Analysis: Microsoft

For our second stock analysis I decided to choose another holding of mine that I believe would turn out to be a buy based on my analysis. I was part right. I knew there would be flaws with my model, but I never intended for it to be the definitive answer to "should I buy this stock". This week I am analyzing Microsoft (MSFT).


This former stock star used to be the top holding in most major mutual funds in the 90s and early 2000s. Microsoft was constantly growing and consistently making billions in cash every year. Although their growth as certainly slowed, the billions of dollars continue to be made. Like Intel, Microsoft has transformed itself into a cash cow business that now rewards its investors in dividends instead of hoarding all the cash they make. Microsoft is in the early stages of a dividend paying company, and my analysis show's this may be a great time to get in on the action.