It looks like Altria has significantly outperformed the S&P index in total returns over the past 10 years (chart). The same can be said for McDonald's (chart). But this cannot be said for Johnson and Johnson (chart), or Microsoft (chart). Even though JNJ and MSFT have had a steady dividend growth over this period.dualstow wrote:At the same time, we have to make sure the current yield is not merely the result of a recent drop in share price. Depending on the reason for the drop, it could portend a subsequent lowering of the dividend.Gosso wrote:But the Yield-On-Cost of 4.9% is a meaningless figure, since it ignores the price change of the stock. If there was a similar stock with a current yield of 4.0%, it would make sense to sell the Intel shares and buy the stock yielding 4.0% (since Intel's current yield is 3.2%). That 4.9% tells us nothing about how the stock is currently performing.MediumTex wrote: Within that sector I really like Intel's dividend, which is currently at 3.2%, but is about 4.9% based upon the price I bought it at a couple of years ago.
I think when I started buying Altria (Philip Morris), I cared more about the dividend than the share price, comparing it to a savings account that rewarded me with higher interest for staying with them year after year. In my mind, I called it the Bank of Marlboro.
So the moral of this story is to invest in companies that are destorying the human body.

