The first quarter proved to be challenging for many retailers (especially in the apparel sector), and it was no exception for Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN), a holding in my Daily Paycheck premium newsletter portfolio. #-ad_banner-#Sales for the period slipped 3.3% to $3.44 billion, driven largely by weakness in the full-price division (the off-price Nordstrom Rack stores performed in line with last year). It wasn’t an egregious top-line miss, but with operating margins contracting, earnings were cut in half to just $0.23 per share — well short of expectations. With the slow start, Nordstrom trimmed back its full-year 2019 outlook and is now… Read More

The first quarter proved to be challenging for many retailers (especially in the apparel sector), and it was no exception for Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN), a holding in my Daily Paycheck premium newsletter portfolio. #-ad_banner-#Sales for the period slipped 3.3% to $3.44 billion, driven largely by weakness in the full-price division (the off-price Nordstrom Rack stores performed in line with last year). It wasn’t an egregious top-line miss, but with operating margins contracting, earnings were cut in half to just $0.23 per share — well short of expectations. With the slow start, Nordstrom trimmed back its full-year 2019 outlook and is now forecasting earnings between $3.25 and $3.65 per share, versus a prior range of $3.65 to $3.90 per share. In other words, the previous worst-case scenario ($3.65) is now the best case. While the industry, in general, is fighting against headwinds, Nordstrom has hobbled its own turnaround efforts with operational miscues. Changes to the firm’s well-regarded loyalty club program didn’t go over well (failure to send out promotional sale flyers was cited as a contributing factor). Merchandising strategies were also off the mark. The Bright Side Fashion is fickle, and it’s never easy to predict what customers will want from… Read More

Regardless of the industry, it’s usually smart to listen to your customers.  Enterprise Products (NYSE: EPD) — a longtime holding in my High-Yield Investing premium newsletter — has been getting requests from oil producers to build a new crude pipeline from the Permian Basin to Houston — the gateway to Gulf Coast refineries and export terminals. On May 2, the master limited partnership (MLP) filed the necessary permits. The size and scope of this new project haven’t yet been finalized, but the company should have little trouble finding commitments and signing contracts when the time comes. While raw material costs… Read More

Regardless of the industry, it’s usually smart to listen to your customers.  Enterprise Products (NYSE: EPD) — a longtime holding in my High-Yield Investing premium newsletter — has been getting requests from oil producers to build a new crude pipeline from the Permian Basin to Houston — the gateway to Gulf Coast refineries and export terminals. On May 2, the master limited partnership (MLP) filed the necessary permits. The size and scope of this new project haven’t yet been finalized, but the company should have little trouble finding commitments and signing contracts when the time comes. While raw material costs have been escalating (steel tariffs don’t help), Enterprise has shrewdly locked in prices for steel pipe. This new pipeline will allow the MLP to repurpose an existing line running a similar route from Midland to Houston to capitalize on the demand for natural gas liquids (NGLs) takeaway capacity. It will add to an ambitious $5.0 billion backlog of growth projects that are currently under construction. Over half of these projects will be placed into service (and start earning fees) by the end of the year. #-ad_banner-#In the meantime, we can already see the financial impact of previous spending. The volume… Read More

One of my kids recently stumbled across my brokerage statement and asked if the balance was enough for me to retire.  I assured him it wasn’t. But it was a good learning opportunity, so I further explained that bank accounts, 401(K)s and other assets were only half the picture. You need to deduct car loans, credit card debt and other liabilities to determine net worth.  Of course, the same is true for any business.  —Recommended Link— Ignoring This Event Could Cost You A 6-Figure Payday. In 2014, three different pot stocks exploded by 1,180%… 1,957%… and 2,067%… jamming wads… Read More

One of my kids recently stumbled across my brokerage statement and asked if the balance was enough for me to retire.  I assured him it wasn’t. But it was a good learning opportunity, so I further explained that bank accounts, 401(K)s and other assets were only half the picture. You need to deduct car loans, credit card debt and other liabilities to determine net worth.  Of course, the same is true for any business.  —Recommended Link— Ignoring This Event Could Cost You A 6-Figure Payday. In 2014, three different pot stocks exploded by 1,180%… 1,957%… and 2,067%… jamming wads of cash into the accounts of smart investors. Vocal opponents of marijuana legalization were suddenly quiet… “Something” had changed their minds. Now, two senators are working to get it legalized federally. That could easily hand you a 2,146% return in the next twelve months. Inside this free report, I reveal three stocks you need to own. Plus. the event that could push them into the stratosphere. Click here for the full details. Take Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). The beverage giant currently owns $8.8 billion in property and equipment, $7.2 billion in cash and equivalents and $3.2 billion in inventory, among other assets. Read More

As many of you know, each month I dedicate an article to informing you about stocks that are poised to put more cash in stockholders’ pockets.  #-ad_banner-#I scan the market for noteworthy special distributions on the horizon, as well as potential dividend hikes on the way over the next four to six weeks. I give special attention to outsized double-digit increases and reliable dividend-payers that have been steadily growing payouts for a decade or more.  I flag these stocks before the official announcements are made, not after, giving you a head-start. (And my High-Yield Investing readers get an even bigger… Read More

As many of you know, each month I dedicate an article to informing you about stocks that are poised to put more cash in stockholders’ pockets.  #-ad_banner-#I scan the market for noteworthy special distributions on the horizon, as well as potential dividend hikes on the way over the next four to six weeks. I give special attention to outsized double-digit increases and reliable dividend-payers that have been steadily growing payouts for a decade or more.  I flag these stocks before the official announcements are made, not after, giving you a head-start. (And my High-Yield Investing readers get an even bigger lead on this information, as you hopefully understand.) If you read last month’s article, then you know our track record on predicting these dividend increases is pretty good — and so are the subsequent gains posted by the stocks we’ve covered. So you’ll want to pay particular attention to this month’s candidates. Here they are… 1. Discover Financial (NYSE: DFS) — This credit-card issuer doesn’t just offer cash back to cardholders — but investors, too. Over the past two years, per-share quarterly distributions have marched from $0.30 to $0.35 to $0.40 — an increase of 33%.  Annual step-ups have been… Read More

It’s long been considered the “Old Faithful” of dividend payers. That’s because this stock has raised dividends like clockwork for 63 consecutive years and hasn’t missed a distribution since 1890.  You won’t hear about it much in the mainstream financial media. Why? Because it can help you get rich slowly — and that’s just not as sexy as the daily swarm of earnings reports, geopolitics, unicorn startup IPOs and tech advances.  Meanwhile, the stock set a new all-time peak of $108.68 on May 16. By itself, that’s a notable accomplishment. But that was also the 27th record high for the… Read More

It’s long been considered the “Old Faithful” of dividend payers. That’s because this stock has raised dividends like clockwork for 63 consecutive years and hasn’t missed a distribution since 1890.  You won’t hear about it much in the mainstream financial media. Why? Because it can help you get rich slowly — and that’s just not as sexy as the daily swarm of earnings reports, geopolitics, unicorn startup IPOs and tech advances.  Meanwhile, the stock set a new all-time peak of $108.68 on May 16. By itself, that’s a notable accomplishment. But that was also the 27th record high for the stock since the beginning of January, the most at this point in a calendar year since 1972. I’m talking about consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG). Most companies would kill to have a billion-dollar brand. P&G has more than two dozen, including Tide laundry detergent, Bounty paper towels, Crest toothpaste, Duracell batteries and Gillette razors. These products are found in 180 countries around the globe and reach more than 5 billion consumers. #-ad_banner-#Admittedly, the company’s portfolio of brands has also become a bit bloated, and sales have been sluggish in recent years. But as you might expect, the… Read More

A few years ago, I was reminded of one of the most important keys to building a successful income-generating portfolio. The epiphany came when I was stuck at the airport while on a family vacation, of all things. —Recommended Link— Shocking New Way to Boost Retirement… Collect Up to $225,326 Get into this program immediately! Set yourself up in minutes to collect $16,771… $65,572… and up to $225,326. These payments are in addition to Social Security, Medicare, and every other government program. But you must move quickly… or your share of the $1.75 billion “cash… Read More

A few years ago, I was reminded of one of the most important keys to building a successful income-generating portfolio. The epiphany came when I was stuck at the airport while on a family vacation, of all things. —Recommended Link— Shocking New Way to Boost Retirement… Collect Up to $225,326 Get into this program immediately! Set yourself up in minutes to collect $16,771… $65,572… and up to $225,326. These payments are in addition to Social Security, Medicare, and every other government program. But you must move quickly… or your share of the $1.75 billion “cash hoard” will be sent to other Americans. Click here for details.. Most of us wait to board our plane with little thought to the activity going on outside the terminal. While we check our email one last time, a bevy of critical activities are taking place to ensure our flight arrives and leaves in a safe and timely fashion. This may seem arbitrary, but in fact it’s the premise of a highly profitable, often overlooked business. #-ad_banner-#You may not know this, but these vital services are commonly performed by private contractors known as fixed base operators… Read More

The falling share price of retail property owner Washington Prime (NYSE: WPG) has driven its yield north of 20%. At that level, many investors in the real estate investment trust (REIT) were clearly anticipating a dividend cut when the company reported quarterly results last week. It didn’t happen. ​ Washington Prime reaffirmed its current policy of distributing $0.25 per share each quarter. It earned $0.31 per share in funds from operation (FFO) and expects to generate between $1.16 and $1.24 for the full year — providing a coverage ratio of 116% to 124% on the $1.00 per share annual distribution. Read More

The falling share price of retail property owner Washington Prime (NYSE: WPG) has driven its yield north of 20%. At that level, many investors in the real estate investment trust (REIT) were clearly anticipating a dividend cut when the company reported quarterly results last week. It didn’t happen. ​ Washington Prime reaffirmed its current policy of distributing $0.25 per share each quarter. It earned $0.31 per share in funds from operation (FFO) and expects to generate between $1.16 and $1.24 for the full year — providing a coverage ratio of 116% to 124% on the $1.00 per share annual distribution. So the dividend is still safe, at least for now. There is a widespread perception (driven by a steady drumbeat of dour media coverage) that brick-and-mortar shopping is dead. Storefronts everywhere are being boarded up and the nation’s shopping centers will soon be abandoned ghost towns. It’s certainly true that many of the weaker malls and strip centers have already succumbed to the wave of retail bankruptcies and store closures. And there are other half-empty, moribund properties on life support. But let’s not get carried away. The Truth About Retail (And WPG) Americans love to shop — and 90… Read More