3 Embarrassingly Low Dividend Stocks

Dividend stocks are a great way to build wealth in the long run, but only if you pick the right stocks. Some well-known companies, for instance, pay out only a measly portion of their profits to shareholders in dividends, while others have embarrassingly low yields that hardly match up to inflation -- let alone manage to supplement your income. Three such popular names that could do their shareholders a favor by being a little more generous with their dividend policies are Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW), Visa (NYSE: V), and Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP).

Sherwin-Williams comes across as a top dividend stock given its place in the elite Dividend Aristocrats list, which is composed of companies that have increased their dividends for at least 25 straight years. There's no denying the paint maker's dividend record -- it has raised its dividends for 38 consecutive years now.

However, Sherwin-Williams stock currently yields a paltry 0.9%, and its forward yield of 1% offers little respite. Blame its low payout ratio of below 30% and the slow growth in dividends. Barring a handful of strong years, the company's annual dividend increases have been small in the past three decades: It last raised its dividend by just $0.01 per share earlier this year.

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Source: Fool.com