How would you characterize four companies whose shares are up between 40% and 100% in the past half year, yet still offer strong fundamentals and a dividend that pays better than any Treasury at the moment? The title above says it all.
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The four companies discussed below also share one other feature: they're all survivors. Each has a company history that goes back at least 50 years.
Good Growth, Low P/E
CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH) is a manufacturer and supplier of building materials and an operator of Do-It-Yourself stores. Headquartered in Ireland, the company's shares trade with a fetching annual dividend yield of 5.1% and a P/E ratio of just under 8. CRH shares currently trade nearly 50% higher than the company's 52-week low and feature a price-to-book ratio of 1.2 and price-to-sales ratio of 0.6.
The company was founded by a merger between two old Irish firms that themselves were founded in 1936 (Cement Limited) and 1949 (Roadstone Limited).
Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) has been making leaf tobacco products from its Virginia home since 1918. The company pays a 4.92% annual dividend and trades with a P/E of just over 7. The stock is up over 40% since March and has a P/B of 1.08 and a P/S of 0.35.
Cat Litter from Clay
Oil-Dri Corporation of America (NYSE:ODC) opened its doors in 1941, and today manufactures and distributes clay-based sorbent products with a wide variety of applications across a number of industries. The shares trade with a P/E ratio of about 12 and offer an annual yield of 3.8%. Oil-Dri company stock is up over 50% from lows struck in October of last year.
One of the country's leading producer of cat litter, ODC just increased its annual dividend by 7% in June of this year.
Snap-On Profits
Snap-On Tools (NYSE:SNA) will soon celebrate its 90th birthday. The maker of tools and accessories for professional workingmen of every field trades with a P/E ratio of just under 12 and yields 3.2% annually. The stock is up over 80% since it's early March bottom and just recently announced a raise in the quarterly dividend, which has been paid "without interruption or reduction since 1939," according to the company's website.
The Wrap
The old time warriors of the corporate world are often the best hands for investors to play in confusing times. Those with reliable dividends, trading with fundamentally sound values should most often carry the day when the economy and markets turn up. (Take a look at Dividend Facts You May Not Know to discover issues that may complicated dividend payouts for investors)
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