2 Embarrassingly Cheap Dividend Stocks

Investing in sturdy dividend stocks is a fantastic way to diversify your portfolio and collect some extra cash. If you invest in companies with a historically robust (and growing) dividend and stable balance sheet, you could enjoy a stream of secondary income that can be used to buy additional shares, save, or put toward retirement.

Before you invest in these types of stocks, however, it's important to separate the dividend champions from the duds. Although biopharmaceutical leader Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) only started paying a dividend in the last several years, it has consistently raised its payouts since that time. And over the last three years in particular, the company has grown its dividend by nearly 37%. Large-cap pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) started paying shareholders a dividend 40 years ago, and has raised its dividend by more than 90% over the past 20 years alone. Gilead is currently trading at about $66 per share while Bristol Myers' stock sits around $62. Regularly buying and holding some of these inexpensive shares could spell major gains in the long run. Here's what you need to know before you scoop up Bristol Myers and Gilead Sciences.

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Source Fool.com