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The Irish Sun
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Craig David in talks with American superstar to collaborate on new song after joining him on stage at London show
IT was certainly an evening to remember when Craig David joined Usher during his Past, Present and Future residency at London's O2 Arena. And it seems the pair don't want their time on stage to become a distant memory, as they are now in talks to collaborate on a new song. Advertisement 11 Craig David joined Usher during his Past, Present and Future residency at London's O2 Arena Credit: Alamy 11 Craig and the Yeah! singer are now in talks to collaborate on a new song Credit: AP Insiders told me Craig and Yeah! singer My music source told me: ' 'After Usher had 'Now they have asked their writers to get to work on some ideas. Advertisement READ MORE ON CRAIG DAVID 'Usher has been quietly putting together a new record and maybe Craig could be a featured artist if they can find the right song.' During their turn on stage on April 5, Usher paid tribute to 7 Days singer Craig in front of the 20,000-strong crowd and said: 'Every time we've ever met it's been positive, every chance we get to celebrate each other, we have. 'I've learnt a lot from my audience to your audience. 'Thank you for your contribution to Advertisement Most read in Bizarre Live Blog Craig replied: 'Me and this dude go way back, it's been a beautiful journey. 'Anyone who's been there from the start, all the way through, we're grateful because your legacy is what we live for.' Craig David shocks fans as he hosts surprise gig in bizarre location Craig wasn't fibbing, with him later revealing rare footage of them in a recording studio together years ago, when they were both starting out in the music business. He posted a clip of them freestyling over the radio around the same time he was releasing Fill Me In, while Usher was working on his album 8701 in 2001. Advertisement I have no doubt that these two would come up with some musical magic. MILEY THE IRON LADY 11 Miley Cyrus was pictured wearing a mad leather combo in Paris Credit: The Mega Agency 11 She was wearing similar colours to Marvel superhero Iron Man Credit: Handout COULD Miley Cyrus be a secret fan of Marvel's Iron Man? Advertisement She wore a mad leather combo in similar colours to the superhero while heading out in Paris. Miley, more recognisable without her shades on, inset, has been busy promoting her ninth album Something Beautiful, which comes out on May 30. Over the weekend, she was seen out and about in the French capital, and surprised some lucky fans who'd waited to meet her by filming a TikTok video with them. Alongside six of her hardcore followers, Miley sang her new track End Of The World, which I've no doubt will help rack up millions of streams on their account. Advertisement What a little legend she is. FEKKY ON THE FARM 11 Fekky has swapped rap for roosters after buying a farm Credit: Supplied 11 His latest venture will be of interest to fans of Clarkson's Farm Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun IF you're a fan of Clarkson's Farm but fancy something a little edgier, I suggest taking a look at Fekky's latest venture. Advertisement The musician, who counts Ed Sheeran and Skepta among his pals, has swapped rap for roosters after buying a farm, complete with 50 chickens, in 2021. He's filmed the transition for a new YouTube docu-series, Hood 2 Farm, which begins on May 25. Fekky tells me in an exclusive chat that going from the streets of Lewisham in South London to rolling fields was a shock to the system. 'F Manor is a lot of upkeep and you don't expect it to be that,' he says. Advertisement 'You've got to top the fields and these days they grow quicker than my hair. 'I've got two cockerels, too, which start up at 5am, and 50 chickens, so every day it's cleaning them out and collecting eggs. 'But I love it. In London I couldn't walk down the street without being stopped. In the countryside I feel free.' In his series, Fekky will travel to farms across the country to learn more about agriculture – and hopefully open that world up to a whole new audience. Advertisement He adds: 'It's like the meeting of two worlds. 'I grew up in Lewisham and we didn't see animals. 'I remember seeing this big pig and I thought pigs were all small, because the only ones I had seen were in books. 'I want to open up farming to everyone and help educate young people.' Advertisement Alongside his successful music career, Fekky has his charitable organisation, CC Foundation, which helps young people and the wider community in Lewisham. He opened the first laptop library in the area, meaning young people could borrow one to take home. Every Christmas, alongside Ed, Skepta, Anthony Joshua, Raheem Sterling and a host of other big names, Fekky organises a turkey drive to families in the borough. Last year they dished out 15,000 - and Fekky isn't finished there. Advertisement 'My food bank in Lewisham now gets eggs from my farm,' he explains. 'In the future, I want to turn F Manor into something far bigger and to open it up to young people to come and stay and learn about farming. 'A lot of people don't know where their food comes from and about what work goes into it. 'We'll have a pub where people can come and eat the food from the produce and a shop too. Advertisement 'I feel like people look at farming and it's old school. 'I want to open that world up and make it for everyone.' EM'S SPELL AS WHITE WITCH 11 Actress Emma Mackey has landed another top role Credit: Getty WHITE Lotus actress Emma Mackey has got herself another top role. Advertisement She will play the White Witch in Greta Gerwig's reworking of Narnia on the big screen. Emma is in good company, with Filming is due to start soon and the movie is expected to be out in November of next year. It's just one of a handful of very exciting parts on the go for Emma. I revealed this month she has joined The Beatles biopics line-up, to take on the part of George Harrison's ex-wife Pattie Boyd. Advertisement We love to see you rise and rise, Emma. CBB'S WILL HITS THE AIRWAVES 11 Will Best kicked off his first show on Hits Radio Breakfast Credit: Chris Ward He kicked off his first show on Hits Radio Breakfast today and was given a special welcome from co-hosts Advertisement Fleur headed down to Abbey Road studios in London to record a new jingle for the show, which she sang with some help from Will and James. Will said of working with Fleur and James: 'I've been wanting to join the 5am club for a while – all the influencers are doing it, aren't they. 'I think I'll cope all right with the early mornings. I'll just go to bed. 'Honestly, I'm unbelievably excited and the thought that I get to hang out with Fleur and James every day just fills my heart with joy.' Advertisement DEMI A PROPER CHARLI 11 Brat singer Charli XCX is coming into this summer with some exciting plans Credit: Splash 11 Demi Lovato looks the spitting image of Charli in these shades Credit: Instagram AFTER seeing this picture of Demi Lovato online, I had to double check it wasn't Demi shared moody selfies on her Instagram account – and she looks the spitting image of Charli in these shades. Advertisement The Brat singer, is coming into this summer with some exciting plans, including a huge performance at Glasto in June. No wonder Demi is getting in on the act and, as they say, imi-tation is the sincerest form of flattery. IF you're pals with someone called Bella, ring them up and book a date on Wednesday. Restaurant chain Bella Italia is offering a £100 voucher to anyone with that name as part of 'Bella Appreciation Day'. Advertisement Head to your local branch with ID and you'll get £100 to spend. I'll be contacting all the Bellas I know! CAUGHT LIVE THE LUMINEERS, OLYMPIC HALL, MUNICH ★★★★☆ 11 The Lumineers brought their light and breezy tunes to Munich's Olympic Hall Credit: Supplied Advertisement FESTIVAL season has started early thanks to The Lumineers. The US indie-folk group brought their light and breezy tunes to Munich's Olympic Hall, which was packed with a feelgood factor. The two-hour show was an escape from the doom and gloom of the world, with 2021 breakout track Ho Hey going down a storm, along with last year's single Ophelia. Proving you don't need cheap gimmicks and pyrotechnics to put on a show, The Lumineers brought the focus back to live music, using everything from multiple pianos to some BEZ-style tambourines during the gig. Advertisement The set list was a real celebration of their music, with tunes from the 2012 self-titled debut album to their fifth record Automatic, which came out in February. They kick off the UK leg of the tour next month, with shows including London's O2 Arena. You'd be a fool to miss them. Jack Hardwick Advertisement
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 No-Brainer Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy in April
Wall Street offers investors no shortage of ways to grow their wealth. With thousands of publicly traded companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to choose from, pretty much everyone is assured of finding one or more securities that'll help them meet their investment goals. But among these countless avenues investors can take, few have proved more successful over long periods than buying and holding high-quality dividend stocks. Businesses that pay a regular dividend to their shareholders typically have a few things in common. They're often: Profitable on a recurring basis. Time-tested in the sense that they've successfully navigated one or more recessions. Capable of providing a transparent long-term growth outlook. In other words, these are companies that investors can hold stakes in without losing sleep at night. But most importantly, they're, collectively, outperformers. In The Power of Dividends: Past, Present, and Future, the researchers at Hartford Funds, in collaboration with Ned Davis Research, compared the performance of dividend stocks to non-payers over a 50-year stretch (1973-2023). What they found was income stocks more than doubled up the non-payers on an annualized return basis -- 9.17% for the dividend stocks vs. 4.27% for the non-payers -- and did so while being less-volatile than the benchmark S&P 500. With the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both falling into correction territory in March, anchoring your portfolio with dividend stocks can be an especially smart move. What follows are three ultra-high-yield dividend stocks -- sporting an average yield of 9.87% -- which make for no-brainer buys in April. The first supercharged dividend stock that can be confidently scooped up by investors to begin the second quarter is mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) Annaly Capital Management (NYSE: NLY). Although Annaly's nearly 13.8% yield might sound unsustainable, it's averaged a roughly 10% yield over the last two decades and has declared approximately $27 billion in dividends since its October 1997 initial public offering. Mortgage REITs might very well be Wall Street's most-disliked industry. They're highly sensitive to interest rate changes, as well as the velocity of moves made the by nation's central bank. The Federal Reserve rapidly increasing in its federal funds rate from March 2022 to July 2023, coupled with an inversion of the Treasury yield curve, drove up short-term borrowing costs and weighed down net interest margin and book value for Annaly and its peers. The good news for Annaly Capital Management is the central bank is now in the midst of a rate-easing cycle. Moreover, the Fed is walking on eggshells when it comes to shifting its monetary policy. The more telegraphed and deliberate the Fed is with its rate adjustments, the more time Annaly and its peers will have to adjust their asset portfolios to maximize profitability. Additionally, Annaly Capital Management predominantly deals with agency securities in its $80.9 billion portfolio. An "agency" asset is backed by the federal government in the event that the underlying instrument (in this case, mortgage-backed securities (MBS)) were to default. While this added protection pushes down the yields Annaly nets on the MBSs it buys, it also opens the door to the use of leverage to pump up its profitability. With yield-curve inversions lessening, the Fed no longer involved in MBS purchases, and mortgage REITs historically performing their best when interest rates are declining, the table is set for Annaly Capital Management's net interest margin and book value to climb. A second ultra-high-yield dividend stock that makes for a no-brainer buy in April is top-tier retail REIT, Realty Income (NYSE: O). Realty Income, which doles out its dividend on a monthly basis, has increased its payout for 110 consecutive quarters. Though the prospect of a U.S. recession has weighed on retail stocks, Realty Income is ideally positioned to take advantage of the long-term growth of the U.S. economy. Its key advantage can be found in the composition of its commercial real estate (CRE) portfolio. It closed out 2024 with 15,621 CRE properties, approximately 91% of which are, per Realty Income, "resilient to economic downturns and/or isolated from e-commerce pressures." If investors dig into which companies and industries Realty Income leases to, they'll find that they're predominantly brand-name businesses in stand-alone locations that drive traffic to their stores in any economic climate. For example, even if the U.S. were to fall into a recession, consumers are still going to visit grocery stores, drug stores, dollar stores, convenience stores, and automotive service locations, all of which among the top industries by annualized contractual rent in Realty Income's CRE portfolio. Vetting and contract length matter, too. A very low percentage of the company's lessees fail to pay their rent, and most tend to lock in their rental agreements for long periods. There's little concern about frequent turnover, and the company's funds from operations is highly predictable. Realty Income is also historically inexpensive, relative to its future cash flow. Over the trailing-five-year period, shares have averaged a multiple to cash flow of roughly 16.2. But based on the consensus Wall Street forecast for 2026 cash flow, investors can pick up shares of Realty Income right now for 22% below this five-year average. The third no-brainer ultra-high-yield dividend stock to buy in April is coal producer Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ: ARLP). Yes, I did say "coal," and also yes, the company's yield of more than 10% has been sustainable. When this decade began, coal stocks were believed to be as good as dead. The push toward clean-energy solutions, such as solar and wind, were expected to meaningfully reduce demand for dirtier fuels. But when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it tipped the scales back toward time-tested energy sources. Even though the spot price of coal is now well off of its pandemic high, Alliance Resource has enjoyed a resurgence in demand. Three factors allow this relatively little-known coal producer to stand out from its peers. First, management has done an excellent job of locking in volume and price commitments years in advance. Securing deals when the price of coal was higher than it is now will ensure consistent operating cash flow for years to come. It also leads to a level of cost and cash flow transparency that most mining-oriented companies lack. Secondly, the company's management team has historically taken a very conservative approach when expanding production. Even when the per-ton coal price rocketed higher during the pandemic, Alliance Resource Partners' management team edged production higher. While many peers have struggled under the weight of crippling debt, Alliance Resource ended 2024 with only $221.4 million in net debt. Its financial flexibility is superior to other coal producers. The third variable that makes Alliance Resource Partners special has been its foray into oil and natural gas royalties. Diversifying its operations into oil and gas allows the company to take advantage of pure increases in the spot price of two core energy commodities. At an estimated 8.5 times forward-year earnings, Alliance Resource Partners' stock remains a solid value amid a historically pricey market. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $285,647!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $42,315!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $500,667!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of April 1, 2025 Sean Williams has positions in Annaly Capital Management. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Realty Income. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 No-Brainer Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy in April was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks That Are No-Brainer Buys in February
For more than a century, the stock market has stood tall over all other asset classes. While buying and holding bonds, gold, oil, or real estate, would have increased your wealth, no asset class has come close to rivaling the average annual return of stocks over extended periods. Though there's no shortage of ways to make money on Wall Street, one time-tested strategy that's difficult to beat is purchasing and holding high-quality dividend stocks. Companies that pay a regular dividend to their shareholders are typically profitable on a recurring basis and capable of providing transparent long-term growth outlooks. Perhaps most important, dividend stocks have almost always proven to investors that they can successfully navigate periods of economic turbulence. Another great aspect of income stocks is their unmistakable outperformance of non-payers. In The Power of Dividends: Past, Present, and Future, the analysts at Hartford Funds, in collaboration with Ned Davis Research, compared the performance of dividend stocks to non-payers spanning a half-century (1973-2023). What their research showed was that dividend stocks more than doubled the average annual return of public companies that didn't offer a dividend: 9.17% vs. 4.27%. Ideally, investors want to receive the maximum yield possible with the least amount of risk. But studies have found that risk and dividend yield tend to go hand in hand. In other words, ultra-high-yield stocks -- i.e., those with yields four or more times greater than the yield of the S&P 500 -- can sometimes be more trouble than they're worth. But this isn't always the case With proper vetting, amazing deals can be uncovered for companies sporting ultra-high yields. What follows are two ultra-high-yield dividend stocks -- sporting an average yield of 6.15% -- which make for no-brainer buys in February. The first magnificent dividend stock investors can confidently add to their portfolios for the shortest month of the year (and beyond) is pharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer (NYSE: PFE). Pfizer's somewhat steadily growing payout and its declining share price (of late) have pushed its yield to 6.5%, which is a stone's throw from an all-time high. Although the 51% decline in Pfizer's stock over the trailing-three-year period would appear to signal issues with the company's operating model, the reality is that the company has been a victim of its own success. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pfizer was one of a small number of drugmakers to successfully develop a vaccine (Comirnaty). It also created Paxlovid, which is an oral regimen used by patients to keep them from developing a severe case of the disease. In 2022, Comirnaty and Paxlovid collectively generated more than $56 billion in sales for Pfizer. In 2024, this combo was estimated to generate $10.5 billion in revenue. While it's true that Pfizer's core COVID-19 therapies will see sales decline by more than $45 billion in two years, let's also note the company had $0 in COVID-19 drug sales when this decade began. In fact, the midpoint of Pfizer's 2024 sales guidance ($62.5 billion) is 49% higher than the $41.9 billion in net sales reported in 2020. For all intents and purposes, its brand-name drug portfolio has significantly strengthened over the last four years. Excluding Pfizer's COVID-19 therapies, operating sales (sans currency changes) grew by 14% in the September-ended quarter. Through the first nine months of 2024, operating sales growth in oncology and specialty care rose by 26% and 12%, respectively. One of the more exciting catalysts for Pfizer -- and a key reason oncology revenue has surged by an aforementioned 26% -- is its $43 billion acquisition of cancer-drug developer Seagen, which closed in December 2023. Aside from substantial long-term cost-savings, this deal vastly expands Pfizer's oncology pipeline and should be notably accretive to its earnings per share beginning this year. Pfizer also gets the benefit of being in a highly defensive sector. Regardless of how well or poorly the U.S. and global economy are performing, people will still become ill and require prescription medicines. This leads to steady demand for its therapies and relatively predictable operating cash flow. The icing on the cake for investors is Pfizer's historically cheap valuation. Its forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 9 represents a 15% discount to its average forward-year earnings multiple over the last five years. The second ultra-high-yield dividend stock that makes for a no-brainer buy in February is Wall Street's leading retail real estate investment trust (REIT), Realty Income (NYSE: O). Since its initial public offering in 1994, Realty Income has increased its dividend 128 times, including for 109 consecutive quarters. Best of all, it doles out its payment on a monthly basis. Similar to Pfizer, Realty Income's stock has struggled amid a historic bull market. Shares of the premier retail REIT have fallen by 21% over the trailing-three-year span. Whereas Pfizer was a victim of its own success, Realty Income's subpar performance can be traced to monetary policy shifts by the Federal Reserve. Investors seek out REITs because of their juicy yields and generally low volatility. But when the nation's central bank kicked off an aggressive rate-hiking cycle in March 2022, it sent short-term Treasury yields soaring. With Treasury bill yields approaching Realty Income's dividend yield, investors chose bonds instead. The good news is that the nation's central bank has, once again, altered its monetary policy stance and is in the midst of a rate-easing cycle. Over time, this should allow ultra-high-yielding REITs, like Realty Income, to stand out. But there's more to this story than just the expectation of declining interest rates. For instance, Realty Income's commercial real estate (CRE) portfolio is well-protected from short-lived recessions and e-commerce pressures. By leasing to brand-name, stand-alone businesses that provide basic need goods and services (e.g., grocery stores, dollar stores, and drug stores), Realty Income ensures that its lessee's pay their rent and renew their leases. To build on this point, Realty Income's proven vetting process and lengthy lease terms have led to occupancy rates that are well above the industry average. Whereas S&P 500 REITs have enjoyed a median occupancy rate of 94.2% since the start of the 21st century, Realty Income's median occupancy rate is 400 basis points higher (98.2%) since the beginning of 2000. A higher occupancy rate leads to steadier (and predictable) funds from operation. Management is also doing a phenomenal job of moving the company into new verticals. Realty Income's January 2024 purchase of Spirit Realty Capital, along with two leasing deals orchestrated in the gaming industry, point to ongoing diversification efforts. The final reason Realty Income is a no-brainer buy is its attractive valuation. Based on Wall Street's consensus, shares of the company are valued at roughly 12.4 times forecast cash flow in 2025, which equates to a 26% discount to its average multiple to cash flow over the trailing-five-year period. Before you buy stock in Pfizer, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Pfizer wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $735,852!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 903% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 176% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list. Learn more » *Stock Advisor returns as of February 3, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer and Realty Income. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks That Are No-Brainer Buys in February was originally published by The Motley Fool
