These 6 Dividend Stocks Pay $82 Billion a Year, Combined, to Their Shareholders

If you're looking for ways to outperform the stock market over the long run, consider buying dividend stocks.

According to an analysis from J.P. Morgan Asset Management, dividend stocks have historically run circles around their non-dividend-paying counterparts. Between 1972 and 2012, publicly traded companies that initiated and grew their payout averaged an annual return of 9.5%. By comparison, non-dividend-paying stocks crawled to an average annual gain of 1.6% over the same span.

This disparity shouldn't surprise anyone. Companies that pay a dividend are almost always profitable, usually have clear long-term strategies and outlooks, and offer time-tested business models.

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Source Fool.com