I reviewed the performance of all stocks within
the current trading year and listed 20 stocks with a strong year-to-date stock
performance. Nearly all (49 stocks) have a positive performance. The best
performing stocks could be the top performing stocks for the rest of the year
due to window dressing effects by institutional investors. This means that
investors will sell bad performing stocks and buy the good ones in order to
show their clients a good worksheet of stocks they own at year-end.
Below the 20 best Aristocrats are four with a yield over
three percent. Eleven are recommended to buy.
Here are my favorite stocks:
Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) has a market capitalization of $28.48 billion. The company employs 65,000 people, generates revenue of $17,786.58 million and has a net income of $2,017.01 million. The firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $3,320.68 million. The EBITDA margin is 18.67 percent (operating margin 15.35 percent and net profit margin 11.34 percent).
Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 22.19 percent of the company’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 39.83 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 20.60 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $3.98. Last fiscal year, the company paid $1.40 in form of dividends to shareholders.
Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 15.26, P/S ratio 1.60 and P/B ratio 2.93. Dividend Yield: 2.50 percent. The beta ratio is 1.17.
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| Long-Term Stock History Chart Of Illinois Tool Works (Click to enlarge) |
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| Long-Term Dividends History of Illinois Tool Works (ITW) (Click to enlarge) |
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| Long-Term Dividend Yield History of Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) (Click to enlarge) |
Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT) has a market capitalization of $257.35 billion. The company employs 2,200,000 people, generates revenue of $446,950.00 million and has a net income of $16,454.00 million. The firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $34,688.00 million. The EBITDA margin is 7.76 percent (operating margin 5.94 percent and net profit margin 3.68 percent).
Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 27.62 percent of the company’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 74.92 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 22.55 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $4.75. Last fiscal year, the company paid $1.46 in form of dividends to shareholders.
Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 16.12, P/S ratio 0.58 and P/B ratio 3.67. Dividend Yield: 2.08 percent. The beta ratio is 0.31.
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| Long-Term Stock History Chart Of Wal-Mart Stores (Click to enlarge) |
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| Long-Term Dividends History of Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) (Click to enlarge) |
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| Long-Term Dividend Yield History of Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) (Click to enlarge) |
McCormick (NYSE:MKC) has a market capitalization of $8.33 billion. The company employs 9,000 people, generates revenue of $3,697.60 million and has a net income of $348.80 million. The firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $626.10 million. The EBITDA margin is 16.93 percent (operating margin 14.61 percent and net profit margin 9.43 percent).
Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 30.63 percent of the company’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 78.17 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 24.49 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $2.91. Last fiscal year, the company paid $1.12 in form of dividends to shareholders.
Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 21.58, P/S ratio 2.04 and P/B ratio 5.21. Dividend Yield: 1.97 percent. The beta ratio is 0.42.
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| Long-Term Stock History Chart Of McCormick (Click to enlarge) |
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| Long-Term Dividends History of McCormick (MKC) (Click to enlarge) |
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| Long-Term Dividend Yield History of McCormick (NYSE: MKC) (Click to enlarge) |
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) has a market capitalization of $20.44 billion. The company employs 40,200 people, generates revenue of $6,798.50 million and has a net income of $463.30 million. The firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $1,149.50 million. The EBITDA margin is 16.91 percent (operating margin 11.09 percent and net profit margin 6.81 percent).
Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 41.86 percent of the company’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 134.76 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 11.87 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $1.78. Last fiscal year, the company paid $0.72 in form of dividends to shareholders.
Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 39.18, P/S ratio 3.01 and P/B ratio 3.60. Dividend Yield: 1.14 percent. The beta ratio is 0.69.
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| Long-Term Stock History Chart Of Ecolab (Click to enlarge) |
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| Long-Term Dividends History of Ecolab (ECL) (Click to enlarge) |
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| Long-Term Dividend Yield History of Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) (Click to enlarge) |
Take a closer look at the full table of the best performing Dividend Aristocrats for 2012. The average price to earnings
ratio (P/E ratio) amounts to 22.24 and forward P/E ratio is 16.20. The dividend
yield has a value of 2.16 percent. Price to book ratio is 5.19 and price to
sales ratio 2.01. The operating margin amounts to 14.11 percent and the beta
ratio is 0.74. The average stock has a debt to equity ratio of 0.78.
Year-to-date, the stocks are up 38.54 percent and the full year performance
amounts to 29.90 percent.
Here is the full table with
some fundamentals (TTM):
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| Best Performing Dividend Aristocrats 2012 (Click to enlarge) |
Related stock
ticker symbols:
SHW, PPG, BEN,
CINF, VFC, ITW, WMT, LOW, MKC, MHP, T, TGT, BF-B, KMB, ABT, CL, CTAS, ECL, CB, BCR
Selected Articles:
*I am long WMT, KMB, CL, MKC.
I receive no compensation to write about these specific stocks, sector or
theme. I don't plan to increase or decrease positions or obligations within the
next 72 hours.
For the other stocks: I
have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any
positions within the next 72 hours. I receive no compensation to write about
any specific stock, sector or theme.