My Favorite Dividend Contenders For March 2017

With a new month close at hand, it is time, once again, for me to lay out some of my stock considerations for the next several weeks of March. 

The point of these posts is to help take some of the guesswork out of where I plan to allocate my fresh capital going forward. By making my selections ahead of time, I find it easier to commit to buys, as all the homework and investment theses have already been completed on my end. 

All that's left to do is pull the "buy" trigger. These days, it seems easier said than done as the market - and many stocks I am considering - continue to march higher. I am finding it increasingly difficult to decide where I'd like to allocate my fresh capital. 

Rest assured, I will be making at least one buy in March, as I aim to stick to my own mantra of remaining consistent with my buys during all market conditions. 

I have no intentions of breaking my streak of making monthly buys. That being said, as I look at my portfolio, I am left with a handful of potential choices for the month of March.

Here are my favorite Dividend Contenders...

My Favorite Dividend Champions As Of March 2017

In the beginning of the first Quarter of the year, many investors review their portfolios and adjust the basic risks. We all hope for a good year on the market and, most importantly, steady dividend growth increase among our portfolio.

I selected a couple of companies with long-term dividend growth growth of which I think they will perform well in 2017 and will increase their dividend payouts.

My main criteria are the following onces:

- Dividend Champion
- Debt-to-Equity under 1
- 5 Year EPS Growth over 5%
- Forward P/E under 20
- Positive Past Sales growth

18 Stocks from the Dividend Champs List remain. Maybe you agree or not. Please leave a comment about your thoughts related to the list.

Here are my favorite Dividend Champs for March 2017...

Dividend Growth Stocks Of The Recent Week

Dividend Kings List Update - Dividend Growth For Over 50 Years

Dividend kings are a rare breed of companies that have raised their dividend for more than 50 consecutive years.

Dividend kings have survived periods of inflation, oil booms, technology busts, rising interest rates, economic recessions, terrorist attacks, market crashes, evolving consumer tastes, major technology advancements, and more. Any business that has made it through every environment imaginable while maintaining regular dividend increases is worth analyzing.

Dividend kings are outstanding businesses that have demonstrated resiliency, consistent free cash flow generation, stable returns on capital, and (of course) predictable dividend growth. Many of them are included in the list of our favorite blue chip dividend stocks.

While there are 51 stocks in the S&P Dividend Aristocrats Index, which includes companies in the S&P 500 Index that have raised their dividend for at least 25 consecutive years, there are fewer than 25 dividend kings.

Here are 18 Dividend Kings presented in alphabetical order. Each stock has increased its annual dividend 50 or more consecutive years.

5 High Income Opportunities To Consider

Many investors love dividend stocks – and for good reason. Reinvesting dividends can turbocharge total capital appreciation over the long term.

And, naturally, the passive income streams they generate make them a great fit for investors who want current income.

Let's look at three dividend stocks that are currently yielding 4% or more yet are relatively stable, or at least not overly risky, as many higher yielders tend to be. They've also outperformed the market over the past 10 years.

These are the results...