Another criterion is the debt level. A company with an indebtedness has much more possibilities to grow or to create something special. Companies with a huge debt load must create management teams to handle this debt and look for new finance rounds.
I love it when stocks have a low debt to equity ratio. But it’s only an additional stone in the wall of corporate finance and valuation.
Today I like to highlight the highest dividend paying stocks (over five percent dividend yield) with more than five years of consecutive dividend growth and a debt to equity ratio of less than one. The ratio is not really low but it’s ok for a higher yielding company in my view. What matters in this area is the expected growth. Growth destroys debt. A growing income makes it easier to pay back the loans.
Nineteen companies fulfilled these criteria of which seven have a buy or better rating. Oil and gas pipeline stocks and drilling companies are the dominating industries in this screen.
