3 Stocks Warren Buffett Would Pick In His Earlier Years

I've released earlier this week an article about Warren Buffett's latest portfolio moves. Warren acts very cautious. 

He hold much cash and makes only a few big moves per year. People can say that he is a really lazy guy but also a smart investor when you look at his long-term performance.

If you copy Warren Buffett's investment style and cover his latest trades very tight, you will definitely make no bigger return. 

How was it possible to create a $50 billion net worth over 50 years, only by trading stocks?

Warren invested in his earlier year’s money into companies with operational problems. In addition, they were very small compared to the market potential. He bought the potential leaders in a growing market.

Looking into the past doesn’t help us to find new stock ideas. I've always look at higher capitalized stocks because of the bigger degree of safety. But large capitalized stocks are also stocks with modest or slow growth. 

Today I present you 3 long-term dividend growers (stocks that have raised dividends over 25 years or more), with the following criteria:

- Market capitalization under USD 2 billion

- Dividend Payout Ratio below 50 percent

- Debt-To-Equity less than 0.5

- Forward P/E fewer than 20

You can find a company overview of the three results below. I don't own any of them but believe that they cover some values inside.

These are the results:

4 Great Dividend Growth Stocks With Several Break-Out Signals

Do you know the feeling of when you buy a stock and nothing happens over years? 

It's very disappointing to put money into a great stock for that you have done the right research and nothing happens because the market doesn’t discover the potential of your target company.

Timing is also important for stock investors. On the capital market, you can make 100 percent in only six months if you catch the right purchasing time and you can make the same performance over ten years. Both is possible but its definitely better to take the first option.

I'm personally a long-term growth investor and more focused on fundamentals than on technical indicators but those can help you to receive a better return.

Today I try to find some stocks that have risen over the short and mid-term. I used a 20 day to 200 day average to get some great stock ideas. These are my fundamental criteria:

Dividend yield over 2%.
Dividend growth rate over the past five years greater than 5%. 
The dividend payout is under 75%. 
The forward P/E is below 15. 
The PEG ratio is under 1.50. 
Total debt to equity under 0.40.

3 Top Stocks That Warren Buffett Bought During The Recent Quarter

Warren Buffett is one of the most trusted investors on the market. When he moves his big money, the whole street is watching and tries to figure out what he is thinking about.

The latest big move was reasonable to Exxon Mobil, the largest U.S. oil producer. Warren bought ConocoPhillips on the peak of the oil price and was wrong with his investment decision. Now it looks that he gives his oil bet a second chance with the strongest cash flow producer in this field.

At the same time Warren Buffett reduced its current position in ConocoPhillips but keeps the downstream business Philips 66 stable. I have no idea what he is thinking about with this transaction. 

In addition, Warren increased shares of DaVita Healthcare Partners and Goldman Sachs. Here you can find a detailed overview about the latest big stock purchases from Warren Buffett.

Warren Buffett's latest stock purchases (click to enlarge)
Source: Gurufocus.com

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) has a market capitalization of $415.45 billion. The company employs 76,900 people, generates revenue of $453.123 billion and has a net income of $47.681 billion. Exxon Mobil’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $65.769 billion. The EBITDA margin is 14.51 percent (the operating margin is 11.01 percent and the net profit margin 10.52 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 3.47 percent of Exxon Mobil’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 6.98 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 28.03 percent was realized by Exxon Mobil. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $7.65. Last fiscal year, Exxon Mobil paid $2.18 in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 12.43, the P/S ratio is 0.92 and the P/B ratio is finally 2.58. The dividend yield amounts to 2.65 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 0.69.

Long-Term Stock Price Chart Of Exxon Mobil (XOM)

Long-Term Dividend Payment History of Exxon Mobil (XOM)

Long-Term Dividend Yield History of Exxon Mobil (XOM)

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) has a market capitalization of $76.86 billion. The company employs 31,700 people, generates revenue of $41.664 billion and has a net income of $7.475 billion. Goldman Sachs’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $12.462 billion. The EBITDA margin is 29.91 percent (the operating margin is 26.90 percent and the net profit margin 17.94 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 47.24 percent of Goldman Sachs’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 585.58 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 10.66 percent was realized by Goldman Sachs. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $16.47. Last fiscal year, Goldman Sachs paid $1.77 in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 10.29, the P/S ratio is 1.84 and the P/B ratio is finally 1.13. The dividend yield amounts to 1.30 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 1.30.

Long-Term Stock Price Chart Of Goldman Sachs (GS)

Long-Term Dividend Payment History of Goldman Sachs (GS)

Long-Term Dividend Yield History of Goldman Sachs (GS)

DaVita HealthCare Partners (NYSE:DVA) has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion. The company employs 53,400 people, generates revenue of $8.186 billion and has a net income of $641.46 million. DaVita HealthCare Partners’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $1,710.45 million. The EBITDA margin is 20.89 percent (the operating margin is 15.84 percent and the net profit margin 7.84 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 53.45 percent of DaVita HealthCare Partners’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 227.32 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 18.16 percent was realized by DaVita HealthCare Partners. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $2.66. Last fiscal year, DaVita HealthCare Partners paid no dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 23.18, the P/S ratio is 1.60 and the P/B ratio is finally 3.45. The beta ratio has a value of 0.49.

Long-Term Stock Price Chart Of DaVita HealthCare Partners (DVA)

Long-Term Dividend Payment History of DaVita HealthCare Partners (DVA)

Long-Term Dividend Yield History of DaVita HealthCare Partners (DVA)

Warren Buffett's Latest Stock Portfolio

Warren Buffett's latest stock purchases (click to enlarge)
Source: Streetinsider.com

Warren Buffett's latest stock purchases (click to enlarge)
Source: Gurufocus.com

5 High-Yield Dividend Champions

Stocks with a very long history of consecutive dividend growth built a great trust relationship to their long-term owners. 

One investment category with the longest dividend streaks are Dividend Champions. Those stocks have raised dividends over a period of more than 25 years without an interruption.

Today I will present you the highest yielding stocks from the Dividend Champions List. On the list are 105 U.S. listed companies but only five of them are High-Yields, stocks with over 5 percent dividend yield.

Please don't focus on high yielding stocks. It's also dangerous to invest money into the top paying shares on the market. Some could cut their dividends if the cash flow weakens. We've seen this process with Pitney Bowes. Not enough: The top yielding stocks have underperformed the market this year!

However, below is a detailed compilation of the highest yielding Dividend Champions. Feel free to submitt some comments on your thoughts.

3 Top Dividend Stocks With Low Payouts And Attractive Price Ratios

Cheap stocks are rare in a low interest environment. But cheap is also a question of the alternatives. You need to compare your investment with the industry average. 

Today I would like to present you three attractively valuated dividend growers with a very low dividend payout, all compared to their industry rivals. These are my criteria:

- Market cap is greater than $100 million.

- Dividend yield is greater than the dividend yield of the industry.

- The payout ratio is less than 100%.

- The annual rate of dividend growth over the past five years is greater than 5%.

- Annual rate of dividend growth over the past five years above the industry.

- Average annual earnings growth estimates for the next 5 years is greater than 5%.

- Average annual earnings growth for the past 5 years is greater than the average annual earnings growth of the industry.

20 companies fulfilled these criteria and some of them don't have a long dividend growth history. Below are some of my favorites, they are not selected by the longest dividend increases. 

I don't recommend them to buy or sell them. It's only a quick selection. Other stocks of interest are Dover, Deere, Medtronic, CSX, Illinois Tool Works and Coach.

Please don't be focused on a few stocks. A well diversification helps you to keep the big stock market risks small.

Agrium (NYSE:AGU) has a market capitalization of $12.88 billion. The company employs 14,500 people, generates revenue of $16.686 billion and has a net income of $1.498 billion. Agrium’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $2.637 billion. The EBITDA margin is 15.80 percent (the operating margin is 12.54 percent and the net profit margin 8.98 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 24.79 percent of Agrium’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 57.27 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 22.40 percent was realized by Agrium. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $9.12. Last fiscal year, Agrium paid $1.00 in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 9.75, the P/S ratio is 0.77 and the P/B ratio is finally 1.92. The dividend yield amounts to 3.38 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 1.43.

Long-Term Stock Price Chart Of Agrium (AGU)

Long-Term Dividend Payment History of Agrium (AGU)

Long-Term Dividend Yield History of Agrium (AGU)

Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP) has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion. The company employs 9,410 people, generates revenue of $3.387 billion and has a net income of $721.45 million. Helmerich & Payne’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $1.393 billion. The EBITDA margin is 41.13 percent (the operating margin is 28.24 percent and the net profit margin 21.30 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 1.28 percent of Helmerich & Payne’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 1.80 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 17.43 percent was realized by Helmerich & Payne. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $6.66. Last fiscal year, Helmerich & Payne paid $0.87 in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 11.85, the P/S ratio is 2.48 and the P/B ratio is finally 1.89. The dividend yield amounts to 2.53 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 1.20.

Long-Term Stock Price Chart Of Helmerich & Payne (HP)

Long-Term Dividend Payment History of Helmerich & Payne (HP)

Long-Term Dividend Yield History of Helmerich & Payne (HP)

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) has a market capitalization of $74.24 billion. The company employs 133,000 people, generates revenue of $110.618 billion and has a net income of $5.526 billion. UnitedHealth Group’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $10.563 billion. The EBITDA margin is 9.55 percent (the operating margin is 8.37 percent and the net profit margin 5.00 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 20.71 percent of UnitedHealth Group’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 53.74 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 18.58 percent was realized by UnitedHealth Group. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $5.29. Last fiscal year, UnitedHealth Group paid $0.80 in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 13.94, the P/S ratio is 0.67 and the P/B ratio is finally 2.41. The dividend yield amounts to 1.52 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 0.76.

Long-Term Stock Price Chart Of UnitedHealth Group (UNH)

Long-Term Dividend Payment History of UnitedHealth Group (UNH)

Long-Term Dividend Yield History of UnitedHealth Group (UNH)