Latest news with #andFuture
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wall Street's Greatest Dividend Stock Hasn't Been This Cheap in Over a Decade -- but Are Investors Paying Attention?
Key Points Over the previous 51 years (1973-2024), dividend stocks have more than doubled the average annual return of non-payers. Just over one dozen publicly traded companies have paid a consecutive dividend for at least 100 years. A little known water utility has delivered a dividend to its investors for 209 straight years, and its stock hasn't been this cheap since the early 2010s. 10 stocks we like better than York Water › With thousands of publicly traded companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to choose from, there are a lot of ways to grow your wealth on Wall Street. Though there isn't a one-size-fits-all blueprint, buying and holding high-quality dividend stocks has often been a strategy that leads to significant wealth creation. Companies that pay a regular dividend to their shareholders typically have a few things in common: They're almost always profitable on a recurring basis. They're usually time-tested and have demonstrated their ability to navigate an economic downturn. They're capable of providing transparent long-term growth outlooks. But if there's one characteristic about dividend stocks that investors absolutely love, it's their long-term outperformance. 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 over a 51-year period (1973-2024). What they found was a massive outperformance, with the income stocks delivering an annualized return of 9.2% versus a modest annualized return of just 4.31% for the non-payers. Right now, what's arguably Wall Street's greatest dividend stock is trading at its biggest discount in more than a decade -- and chances are good that you've never heard of this company before. Say hello to York Water (NASDAQ: YORW). Separating the dividend payers from truly special income stocks Based on data from stock and ETF screeners, there are thousands of securities that potentially offer their shareholders a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual dividend. This includes roughly 80% of the 500 companies that comprise the benchmark S&P 500. But among this haystack are a few needles that truly stand out on Wall Street. For example, there are currently more than 50 public companies that qualify as Dividend Kings. These are businesses that have increased their base annual payout for at least 50 consecutive years. Some brand-name examples include Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), which have respectively increased their dividends for 68 straight years and 63 consecutive years. Dividend Kings commonly provide basic need goods and services, such as consumer health products in the case of P&G and beverages for Coca-Cola. But there's another even rarer crop of dividend payers. Just over one dozen publicly traded companies have continuously paid a dividend for 100 or more years. The aforementioned Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola happen to be two of these businesses, with 2025 representing P&G's 135th consecutive year of payouts to its shareholders and Coca-Cola logging its 105th straight year. Contained within this extremely elite list of dividend payers is under-the-radar water utility York Water, which services just four counties and 57 municipalities as a water and wastewater provider in South-Central Pennsylvania. York has been paying a continuous dividend since James Madison, America's fourth president, was in the White House. York's 209-year streak (since 1816) of doling out dividends to its investors is a clean 60 years longer than Stanley Black & Decker, which has the second-longest streak of continuous payouts of any public company. York Water may not be a familiar name to more than 99% of investors, but it's undeniably special within the dividend arena. York Water stock hasn't been this cheap in well over a decade Though providing water and wastewater services to more than 212,000 people isn't as exciting as the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), York Water nevertheless brings its own unique competitive advantages to the table. To start with the obvious, if you own or rent a home, you'll need water and wastewater services. Since most utilities operate as monopolies or duopolies in the areas they service, there's virtually no concern about other companies siphoning away their customers. The remarkably high costs of getting water and wastewater infrastructure into place leads to steady and predictable operating cash flow for York year after year. To build on this point, York Water is also a regulated water utility. This is a fancy way of saying that it can't pass along rate hikes to its customers without the go-ahead from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PPUC). While this might sound like a nuisance, it's actually fantastic news. Regulated utilities avoid the unpredictability that can come with wholesale markets, which further adds to the steadiness of its sales and cash flow. In late May, York Water filed an application with the PPUC for a rate increase, with the premise being that it's spent $145 million on various infrastructure investments since its last approved rate hike in 2022. If approved, the company's annual sales would climb by more than $24 million, representing an approximate 32% increase. In addition to relying on the occasional rate increase to grow its revenue, York's management team hasn't shied away from making bolt-on acquisitions. With the company's cash flow highly predictable, management can confidently expand its reach without adversely impacting profitability. Best of all, York Water stock hasn't been this cheap since the early 2010s. It's valued at approximately 1.9 times book value, which is its lowest premium to book since the summer of 2010. What's more, the $1.58 per share analysts expect the company to earn in 2026 places its forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio at 19.4. It's been at least 10 years since York Water sported a forward P/E ratio below 20. Wall Street's greatest dividend stock is on sale -- but are investors paying attention? Should you buy stock in York Water right now? Before you buy stock in York Water, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and York Water wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $630,291!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,075,791!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,039% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Wall Street's Greatest Dividend Stock Hasn't Been This Cheap in Over a Decade -- but Are Investors Paying Attention? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wall Street's Greatest Dividend Stock Hasn't Been This Cheap in Over a Decade -- but Are Investors Paying Attention?
Key Points Over the previous 51 years (1973-2024), dividend stocks have more than doubled the average annual return of non-payers. Just over one dozen publicly traded companies have paid a consecutive dividend for at least 100 years. A little known water utility has delivered a dividend to its investors for 209 straight years, and its stock hasn't been this cheap since the early 2010s. 10 stocks we like better than York Water › With thousands of publicly traded companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to choose from, there are a lot of ways to grow your wealth on Wall Street. Though there isn't a one-size-fits-all blueprint, buying and holding high-quality dividend stocks has often been a strategy that leads to significant wealth creation. Companies that pay a regular dividend to their shareholders typically have a few things in common: They're almost always profitable on a recurring basis. They're usually time-tested and have demonstrated their ability to navigate an economic downturn. They're capable of providing transparent long-term growth outlooks. But if there's one characteristic about dividend stocks that investors absolutely love, it's their long-term outperformance. 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 over a 51-year period (1973-2024). What they found was a massive outperformance, with the income stocks delivering an annualized return of 9.2% versus a modest annualized return of just 4.31% for the non-payers. Right now, what's arguably Wall Street's greatest dividend stock is trading at its biggest discount in more than a decade -- and chances are good that you've never heard of this company before. Say hello to York Water (NASDAQ: YORW). Separating the dividend payers from truly special income stocks Based on data from stock and ETF screeners, there are thousands of securities that potentially offer their shareholders a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual dividend. This includes roughly 80% of the 500 companies that comprise the benchmark S&P 500. But among this haystack are a few needles that truly stand out on Wall Street. For example, there are currently more than 50 public companies that qualify as Dividend Kings. These are businesses that have increased their base annual payout for at least 50 consecutive years. Some brand-name examples include Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), which have respectively increased their dividends for 68 straight years and 63 consecutive years. Dividend Kings commonly provide basic need goods and services, such as consumer health products in the case of P&G and beverages for Coca-Cola. But there's another even rarer crop of dividend payers. Just over one dozen publicly traded companies have continuously paid a dividend for 100 or more years. The aforementioned Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola happen to be two of these businesses, with 2025 representing P&G's 135th consecutive year of payouts to its shareholders and Coca-Cola logging its 105th straight year. Contained within this extremely elite list of dividend payers is under-the-radar water utility York Water, which services just four counties and 57 municipalities as a water and wastewater provider in South-Central Pennsylvania. York has been paying a continuous dividend since James Madison, America's fourth president, was in the White House. York's 209-year streak (since 1816) of doling out dividends to its investors is a clean 60 years longer than Stanley Black & Decker, which has the second-longest streak of continuous payouts of any public company. York Water may not be a familiar name to more than 99% of investors, but it's undeniably special within the dividend arena. York Water stock hasn't been this cheap in well over a decade Though providing water and wastewater services to more than 212,000 people isn't as exciting as the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), York Water nevertheless brings its own unique competitive advantages to the table. To start with the obvious, if you own or rent a home, you'll need water and wastewater services. Since most utilities operate as monopolies or duopolies in the areas they service, there's virtually no concern about other companies siphoning away their customers. The remarkably high costs of getting water and wastewater infrastructure into place leads to steady and predictable operating cash flow for York year after year. To build on this point, York Water is also a regulated water utility. This is a fancy way of saying that it can't pass along rate hikes to its customers without the go-ahead from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PPUC). While this might sound like a nuisance, it's actually fantastic news. Regulated utilities avoid the unpredictability that can come with wholesale markets, which further adds to the steadiness of its sales and cash flow. In late May, York Water filed an application with the PPUC for a rate increase, with the premise being that it's spent $145 million on various infrastructure investments since its last approved rate hike in 2022. If approved, the company's annual sales would climb by more than $24 million, representing an approximate 32% increase. In addition to relying on the occasional rate increase to grow its revenue, York's management team hasn't shied away from making bolt-on acquisitions. With the company's cash flow highly predictable, management can confidently expand its reach without adversely impacting profitability. Best of all, York Water stock hasn't been this cheap since the early 2010s. It's valued at approximately 1.9 times book value, which is its lowest premium to book since the summer of 2010. What's more, the $1.58 per share analysts expect the company to earn in 2026 places its forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio at 19.4. It's been at least 10 years since York Water sported a forward P/E ratio below 20. Wall Street's greatest dividend stock is on sale -- but are investors paying attention? Should you buy stock in York Water right now? Before you buy stock in York Water, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and York Water wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $630,291!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,075,791!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,039% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Wall Street's Greatest Dividend Stock Hasn't Been This Cheap in Over a Decade -- but Are Investors Paying Attention? was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks -- Sporting an Average Yield of 9% -- Which Make for No-Brainer Buys in July
Dividend stocks have more than doubled up the average annual return of non-payers over the previous 51 years (1973-2024). Amid one of the priciest stock market's in history, amazing deals can still be found among ultra-high-yield income stocks -- i.e., those with yields of 5% or greater. Three high-octane dividend stocks, with yields ranging from 5.1% to 14.9%, have the right blend of macro and company-specific catalysts to thrive. 10 stocks we like better than Annaly Capital Management › For more than a century, Wall Street has been a bona fide wealth-creating machine. Though other asset classes, including bonds, commodities, and real estate, have also delivered positive long-term returns, none of these other investments has come particularly close to matching the average annual return of stocks over the last 100 years. With thousands of publicly traded companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to choose from, there's probably one or more securities that can help investors meet their goals. But among the countless ways investors can grow their wealth on Wall Street, few have proved more successful over long periods than buying and holding high-quality dividend stocks. Companies that pay a regular dividend to their shareholders are typically profitable on a recurring basis, capable of providing transparent long-term growth outlooks, and have demonstrated their ability to navigate a challenging economic climate. Best of all, dividend stocks tend to outperform. 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 from 1973 to 2024. They found that dividend stocks more than doubled the average annual return of non-payers (9.2% vs. 4.31%), and did so while being notably less volatile. Even with the benchmark S&P 500 hitting record highs, amazing deals can still be found among ultra-high-yield dividend stocks -- i.e., companies whose yields are at least four times higher than the current yield of the S&P 500 (1.24%, as of June 27). The following three ultra-high-yield stocks, which are sporting an average yield of 9.02%, make for no-brainer buys in July. The first sensational buy that income seekers can confidently add to their portfolios as we turn the page to the second-half of 2025 is mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) Annaly Capital Management (NYSE: NLY). While Annaly's nearly 14.9% yield may appear too good to be true, the company recently raised its quarterly payout and has averaged a double-digit yield over the trailing two decades. Throughout much of this decade, mortgage REITs have been disliked by Wall Street. This industry is highly sensitive to rapid changes in monetary policy and interest rates. The Federal Reserve increasing interest rates at the fastest clip in four decades from March 2022 to July 2023 increased short-term borrowing costs for companies like Annaly and lowered their net interest margin. The good news for Annaly Capital Management and its mortgage REIT peers is that we're entering a favorable environment for growth. The nation's central bank is now in a rate-easing cycle, and declining interest rates usually allow mortgage REITs to expand their net interest margin. In other words, they can still buy mortgage-backed securities with robust yields, but short-term borrowing costs tend to decline. Well-telegraphed monetary policy shifts during a rate-easing cycle are ideal for Annaly. Something else to consider is that Annaly Capital Management's $84.9 billion investment portfolio is heavily skewed toward highly liquid agency assets. An "agency" security is backed by the federal government in the unlikely event of default on the underlying asset. This added layer of protection is what affords Annaly the luxury of utilizing leverage to its advantage and pumping up its profits. With the innerworkings of the mortgage REIT industry becoming more favorable, Annaly trading at a slight discount to its book value, as of the March-ended quarter, makes it a smart buy for income-seeking investors. A second ultra-high-yield dividend stock that makes for a no-brainer buy in July is pharmaceutical titan Pfizer (NYSE: PFE). Its current yield tops 7% and looks to be sustainable, based on growth forecasts from management. Whereas the S&P 500 has rallied to a fresh record high, Pfizer stock has struggled under the weight of its own prior success. Investors sent shares of the company higher during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for having developed a vaccine (Comirnaty) and oral therapy (Paxlovid). But between 2022 and 2024, combined sales of these COVID-19 therapeutics declined from more than $56 billion to $11 billion, respectively. Another drop-off is expected this year, with Paxlovid sales falling off in a big way in the March-ended quarter. While it might be unnerving to see Pfizer's COVID-19-related revenue decline, keep in mind that this area of focus didn't exist at the end of 2020. Any recurring sales from this segment is a bonus from where things stood 4.5 years ago. Furthermore, Pfizer's net sales from all segments actually grew by more than 50% between 2020 and 2024. In spite of weaker sales tied to its COVID-19 franchise, Pfizer's product portfolio, as a whole, is only getting stronger. On top of continued strength from Pfizer's specialty care segment, there's plenty of optimism that follows its $43 billion acquisition of cancer-drug developer Seagen in December 2023. This deal added more than $3 billion in annual sales, provides ample opportunity to boost margins via cost synergies, and should meaningfully bolster Pfizer's oncology pipeline. Ongoing improvements in cancer screening and diagnostics, coupled with strong pricing power for brand-name cancer drugs, bodes well for Pfizer's oncology division. The final piece of the puzzle is Pfizer's historically inexpensive valuation. Amid one of the priciest stock markets in history, shares of Pfizer can be scooped up for around 8 times forecast earnings in 2025 and 2026. This compares to an average forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.2 over the trailing-five-year period. The third ultra-high-yield dividend stock that stands out for all the right reasons and can be purchased with confidence by income investors in July is The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ: CPB). The 146-year-old food company formerly known as Campbell's Soup Company sports a nearly 5.1% dividend yield, which is an all-time high. Campbell's stock is effectively hovering at a 16-year low due to two factors. First, demand in the snack food category has recently weakened, which isn't unique Campbell's. The other issue (also not unique to Campbell's) is President Donald Trump's recently imposed steel tariffs, which are expected to take a bite out of the margins of food companies that can their products. While these are tangible headwinds, they're both relatively short-term in nature and overlook some of the factors that make The Campbell's Company a solid long-term investment. Perhaps the most obvious catalyst for Campbell's is that it sells basic need goods, such as food and beverages. No matter how well or poorly the U.S. economy and stock market perform, consumers need food and beverages to survive. This leads to highly predictable operating cash flow for Campbell's in any economic climate and makes it a particularly attractive stock to own during periods of heightened volatility and uncertainty. Furthermore, Campbell's went on the offensive last year to improve its product portfolio and make its operations more efficient. It announced the closure of a plant, as well as $230 million in investments through fiscal 2026 (Campbell's fiscal year usually ends in late July) in existing plants to bolster production efficiency and buoy margins. Ongoing innovation and the occasional acquisition are ways Campbell's looks to deliver volume growth and support the value of its brands. The valuation is also compelling. With Campbell's stock at levels not consistently witnessed since 2009, shares can be purchased for around 10 times forecast earnings this year. This equates to a 31% discount to the company's average forward P/E ratio over the past half-decade. Before you buy stock in Annaly Capital Management, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Annaly Capital Management wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $697,627!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $939,655!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,045% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 178% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025 Sean Williams has positions in Annaly Capital Management and Pfizer. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool recommends Campbell's. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks -- Sporting an Average Yield of 9% -- Which Make for No-Brainer Buys in July was originally published by The Motley Fool
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks -- Sporting an Average Yield of 9% -- Which Make for No-Brainer Buys in July
Dividend stocks have more than doubled up the average annual return of non-payers over the previous 51 years (1973-2024). Amid one of the priciest stock market's in history, amazing deals can still be found among ultra-high-yield income stocks -- i.e., those with yields of 5% or greater. Three high-octane dividend stocks, with yields ranging from 5.1% to 14.9%, have the right blend of macro and company-specific catalysts to thrive. 10 stocks we like better than Annaly Capital Management › For more than a century, Wall Street has been a bona fide wealth-creating machine. Though other asset classes, including bonds, commodities, and real estate, have also delivered positive long-term returns, none of these other investments has come particularly close to matching the average annual return of stocks over the last 100 years. With thousands of publicly traded companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to choose from, there's probably one or more securities that can help investors meet their goals. But among the countless ways investors can grow their wealth on Wall Street, few have proved more successful over long periods than buying and holding high-quality dividend stocks. Companies that pay a regular dividend to their shareholders are typically profitable on a recurring basis, capable of providing transparent long-term growth outlooks, and have demonstrated their ability to navigate a challenging economic climate. Best of all, dividend stocks tend to outperform. 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 from 1973 to 2024. They found that dividend stocks more than doubled the average annual return of non-payers (9.2% vs. 4.31%), and did so while being notably less volatile. Even with the benchmark S&P 500 hitting record highs, amazing deals can still be found among ultra-high-yield dividend stocks -- i.e., companies whose yields are at least four times higher than the current yield of the S&P 500 (1.24%, as of June 27). The following three ultra-high-yield stocks, which are sporting an average yield of 9.02%, make for no-brainer buys in July. The first sensational buy that income seekers can confidently add to their portfolios as we turn the page to the second-half of 2025 is mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) Annaly Capital Management (NYSE: NLY). While Annaly's nearly 14.9% yield may appear too good to be true, the company recently raised its quarterly payout and has averaged a double-digit yield over the trailing two decades. Throughout much of this decade, mortgage REITs have been disliked by Wall Street. This industry is highly sensitive to rapid changes in monetary policy and interest rates. The Federal Reserve increasing interest rates at the fastest clip in four decades from March 2022 to July 2023 increased short-term borrowing costs for companies like Annaly and lowered their net interest margin. The good news for Annaly Capital Management and its mortgage REIT peers is that we're entering a favorable environment for growth. The nation's central bank is now in a rate-easing cycle, and declining interest rates usually allow mortgage REITs to expand their net interest margin. In other words, they can still buy mortgage-backed securities with robust yields, but short-term borrowing costs tend to decline. Well-telegraphed monetary policy shifts during a rate-easing cycle are ideal for Annaly. Something else to consider is that Annaly Capital Management's $84.9 billion investment portfolio is heavily skewed toward highly liquid agency assets. An "agency" security is backed by the federal government in the unlikely event of default on the underlying asset. This added layer of protection is what affords Annaly the luxury of utilizing leverage to its advantage and pumping up its profits. With the innerworkings of the mortgage REIT industry becoming more favorable, Annaly trading at a slight discount to its book value, as of the March-ended quarter, makes it a smart buy for income-seeking investors. A second ultra-high-yield dividend stock that makes for a no-brainer buy in July is pharmaceutical titan Pfizer (NYSE: PFE). Its current yield tops 7% and looks to be sustainable, based on growth forecasts from management. Whereas the S&P 500 has rallied to a fresh record high, Pfizer stock has struggled under the weight of its own prior success. Investors sent shares of the company higher during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for having developed a vaccine (Comirnaty) and oral therapy (Paxlovid). But between 2022 and 2024, combined sales of these COVID-19 therapeutics declined from more than $56 billion to $11 billion, respectively. Another drop-off is expected this year, with Paxlovid sales falling off in a big way in the March-ended quarter. While it might be unnerving to see Pfizer's COVID-19-related revenue decline, keep in mind that this area of focus didn't exist at the end of 2020. Any recurring sales from this segment is a bonus from where things stood 4.5 years ago. Furthermore, Pfizer's net sales from all segments actually grew by more than 50% between 2020 and 2024. In spite of weaker sales tied to its COVID-19 franchise, Pfizer's product portfolio, as a whole, is only getting stronger. On top of continued strength from Pfizer's specialty care segment, there's plenty of optimism that follows its $43 billion acquisition of cancer-drug developer Seagen in December 2023. This deal added more than $3 billion in annual sales, provides ample opportunity to boost margins via cost synergies, and should meaningfully bolster Pfizer's oncology pipeline. Ongoing improvements in cancer screening and diagnostics, coupled with strong pricing power for brand-name cancer drugs, bodes well for Pfizer's oncology division. The final piece of the puzzle is Pfizer's historically inexpensive valuation. Amid one of the priciest stock markets in history, shares of Pfizer can be scooped up for around 8 times forecast earnings in 2025 and 2026. This compares to an average forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.2 over the trailing-five-year period. The third ultra-high-yield dividend stock that stands out for all the right reasons and can be purchased with confidence by income investors in July is The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ: CPB). The 146-year-old food company formerly known as Campbell's Soup Company sports a nearly 5.1% dividend yield, which is an all-time high. Campbell's stock is effectively hovering at a 16-year low due to two factors. First, demand in the snack food category has recently weakened, which isn't unique Campbell's. The other issue (also not unique to Campbell's) is President Donald Trump's recently imposed steel tariffs, which are expected to take a bite out of the margins of food companies that can their products. While these are tangible headwinds, they're both relatively short-term in nature and overlook some of the factors that make The Campbell's Company a solid long-term investment. Perhaps the most obvious catalyst for Campbell's is that it sells basic need goods, such as food and beverages. No matter how well or poorly the U.S. economy and stock market perform, consumers need food and beverages to survive. This leads to highly predictable operating cash flow for Campbell's in any economic climate and makes it a particularly attractive stock to own during periods of heightened volatility and uncertainty. Furthermore, Campbell's went on the offensive last year to improve its product portfolio and make its operations more efficient. It announced the closure of a plant, as well as $230 million in investments through fiscal 2026 (Campbell's fiscal year usually ends in late July) in existing plants to bolster production efficiency and buoy margins. Ongoing innovation and the occasional acquisition are ways Campbell's looks to deliver volume growth and support the value of its brands. The valuation is also compelling. With Campbell's stock at levels not consistently witnessed since 2009, shares can be purchased for around 10 times forecast earnings this year. This equates to a 31% discount to the company's average forward P/E ratio over the past half-decade. Before you buy stock in Annaly Capital Management, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Annaly Capital Management wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $697,627!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $939,655!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,045% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 178% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025 Sean Williams has positions in Annaly Capital Management and Pfizer. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool recommends Campbell's. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks -- Sporting an Average Yield of 9% -- Which Make for No-Brainer Buys in July was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Irish Examiner
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
'Super Garden' recreated at local school to honour late gardener
The wife of a talented gardener who died shortly after winning RTÉ's Super Garden competition has said she is delighted to see his creation living on in a local school in their hometown. John Dooley and his wife Elizabeth from Castledermot, Co Kildare, won the top prize for their design "Past, Present, and Future" last year. Their feature garden, which was displayed at last year's Bloom festival, emphasised the importance of using land to produce food and protect the environment. John, a former farm manager and gardener who was self-taught, focused on pollinators, medicinal plants, and vegetables. Tragically, just one day after he began clearing away his design when Bloom ended last June, John suffered a heart attack at home and died. Now, his wife Elizabeth has marked the first anniversary of his death by opening "John's Garden" at Scoil Diarmada in Castledermot, where he donated the creation after his big win. 'The night before his anniversary, I thought: 'Oh no, I will have to go through this ordeal again, and I'd be crying and having red cheeks all the time,'' she told the Irish Examiner."I told myself: Get up and get ready. His garden and the school have really kept me going, this is what John wanted and that has helped me 'John and I were very close and had similar interests, so I talk to him every day. I talk to his photo, and I feel him all around. Liz Dooley, centre, cutting the ribbon at Scoil Diarmada to officially open the garden her late husband John Dooley donated to the school. Picture: Moya Nolan 'John wanted to pass the garden on, he was over the moon when he won, and he wanted the school to have the garden because he felt like the old way of growing your own vegetables was being lost.' Cutting the ribbon at the official opening at the front of the school, Elizabeth told locals: 'John would really love this, and you're all here now in his memory, and I wish everyone joy as they come into the garden.' John, who was 62 and originally from Killeen in Co Laois, was described as a 'laid-back man with a huge talent for gardening'. 'There was nothing he couldn't do,' said his wife. 'I entered him for the Super Garden." The couple, who celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary last July, were 19 and 22 when they got married. 'He came to the dances here in Castledermot and we met there. He was in good health, but suffered a heart attack around nine years ago. But he was going well. He tended to the garden in the local Church of the Assumption after he was made redundant as a farm manager. "That's where we got married there, and that is where his funeral Mass was too.' Elizabeth said she now finds some solace knowing the garden has been donated to the local children. 'His dreams and wishes will live on in that garden," she added. Principal Jennifer Murphy speaking to visitors at the opening of the garden Liz's late husband John Dooley donated to the school. Picture: Moya Nolan Scoil Diarmada principal Jennifer Murphy paid tribute to John and Elizabeth, saying: 'The most important thing we have learned is that gardening is not an instant thing." 'In a world where we don't always understand the promise of time and patience, the children are now learning to appreciate that if you plant a seed it takes a lot of time and care to grow. "This will be the legacy that John leaves us. May he rest in peace." Read More Colin Sheridan: Bloom is the crowning jewel of our capital city
