Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) has close to $50 billion in cash and cash equivalents. As this hoard continues to accumulate, many shareholders are impatient for a dividend. Will Google authorize a dividend? Who knows? But one thing is certain: Google has both the cash and the cash flow to make it happen.�

Tech and dividends
Tech and growth were once interchangeable terms. Tech stocks needed every dollar they generated to reinvest into the business. But those days are over. Dividends in the tech sector seem to be the new norm. In 2009, Oracle initiated a dividend, followed by Cisco Systems in 2011 and Dell in 2012. Finally, even Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) joined the Tech Dividend Stocks Club in 2012.

Why are many tech stocks paying out dividends today? It's simple: As their growth trajectories slow, these companies are still raking in loads of cash -- Google included. Just look at the percentage of sales these tech companies are converting to free cash flow:

Top 5 Prefered Companies To Watch In Right Now: Triumph Group Inc.(TGI)

Triumph Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, engineering, manufacture, repair, overhaul, and distribution of aircraft components. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace Systems and Aftermarket Services. The Aerospace Systems segment provides mechanical and electromechanical controls, such as hydraulic systems and components, main engine gearbox assemblies, and accumulators and mechanical control cables. It also involves in stretch forming, die forming, milling, bonding, machining, welding, and assembling and fabricating various structural components used in aircraft wings, fuselages, and other assemblies. In addition, this segment provides composite assemblies for floor panels, environmental control system ducts, non-structural cockpit components, and thermal acoustic insulation systems. The Aftermarket Services segment provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for commercial and military markets. This segment offers its services on auxiliary power units, and air frame and engine accessories, including constant-speed drives, cabin compressors, starters and generators, and pneumatic drive units; and on thrust reversers, nacelle components, and flight control surfaces, as well as supplies spare parts of cockpit instruments and gauges for a range of commercial airlines. The company serves the aerospace industry, including original equipment manufacturers of commercial, regional, business, and military aircraft and components, as well as commercial airlines, air cargo carriers, and military customers. Triumph Group, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Triumph Group (NYSE: TGI  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: Smith & Nephew SNATS Inc.(SNN)

Smith & Nephew plc develops, manufactures, markets, and sells medical devices in the orthopaedics, endoscopy, and advanced wound management sectors worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Orthopaedics, Endoscopy, and Advanced Wound Management. The Orthopaedics segment offers reconstruction implants, including hip, knee, and shoulder joints, as well as ancillary products, such as bone cement and mixing systems used in cemented reconstruction joint surgery. This segment also provides trauma fixation products consisting of internal and external devices, and other products, including shoulder fixation and orthobiological materials used in the stabilization of fractures and deformity correction procedures; and clinical therapies products comprising bone growth stimulation, joint fluid therapies, and outpatient spine products. The Endoscopy segment develops and commercializes minimally invasive surgery techniques, educational programs, and value-added services for sur geons to treat and repair soft tissue and articulating joints. It offers specialized devices and fixation systems to repair damaged tissues; fluid management equipment for surgical access; digital cameras, digital image capture, scopes, light sources, and monitors to assist with visualisation; radiofrequency wands, electromechanical and mechanical blades, and hand instruments for resecting damaged tissues. The Advanced Wound Management segment provides initial wound bed preparation and full wound closure products. This segment?s products are targeted at chronic wounds associated with the older population, such as pressure sores and venous leg ulcers; and products for the treatment of wounds, including burns and invasive surgery. The company serves medical and surgical service providers. Smith & Nephew plc was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  All that being said, while St. Jude Medical might have never been known as a device pioneer, the acquisitions of Nanostim and Endosense have given STJ stock holders some exposure to pacemakers without pesky leads (where the “pulse” is created), and exposure to atrial fibrillation treatment without the use of drugs. This year might mark a serious upgrade for the company’s product lines.

  Medical Devices: Smith & Nephew plc (SNN)

  Priced at a trailing P/E of 24 and a forward-looking P/E of 17, it’s not like you can call Smith & Nephew plc (SNN) a screaming value. It’s a reliable growth machine, however, in terms of earnings as well as revenue.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: PPL Corporation(PPL)

PPL Corporation, an energy and utility holding company, generates and sells electricity; and delivers natural gas to approximately 5.3 million utility customers primarily in the northeastern and northwestern U.S. The company operates in four segments: Kentucky Regulated, International Regulated, Pennsylvania Regulated, and Supply. The Kentucky Regulated segment engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity; and the distribution and sale of natural gas to approximately 1.3 million customers in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. The International Regulated segment owns and operates electricity distribution businesses in the United Kingdom that deliver electricity to 7.7 million customers. The Pennsylvania Regulated segment delivers electricity to approximately 1.4 million customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania. The Supply segment owns and operates power plants to generate electricity using coal, uranium, natural gas, oil, and water res ources; markets and trades electricity and other purchased power to wholesale and retail markets; and acquires and develops domestic generation projects. It controls or owns a portfolio of generation assets of approximately 11,000 megawatts in Montana and Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s distribution system included 649 substations with a capacity of 25 million kVA, 28,838 circuit miles of overhead lines, and 24,131 cable miles of underground conductors in the United Kingdom. It also operated 377 substations with a capacity of 31 million kVA, 33,122 circuit miles of overhead lines, and 7,368 cable miles of underground conductors in Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Bucks from the Brits
  PPL (NYSE: PPL  ) managed to wow investors in 2011 when the company beat analyst estimates for four straight quarters. When it did it again in 2012, it was really only a matter of time until its shares hit a new 52-week high, now up 17.7�% in the last year. With 85% of 2013 earnings per share (EPS) originating from regulated business, the utility has taken a tried-and-true page out of Ameren's book. PPL boasts a friendly and diverse regulatory environment across three states and the United Kingdom, and its 4.7% yield is above average for utilities dividend stocks.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  PPL pilots new energy reduction program
  Across the pond, PPL's (NYSE: PPL  ) British utility Western Power Distribution is trying to get its commercial customers to cut consumption. The company announced this week that it will be offering 15 businesses financial incentives to reduce their overall electricity use and/or shift use to non-peak hours. While reduced demand might seem backwards for any business model, an electricity use reduction would allow PPL to forgo costly upgrades to its current electricity system. And, as the utility's energy efficiency project manager points out, carbon emission targets provide an additional reason to increase efficiencies where possible.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  In trading on Wednesday, utilities shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.61 percent. Top gainers in the sector included PPL (NYSE: PPL), Empresa Distribuidora y Comercializadora Norte SA (NYSE: EDN), and Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE: PEG). Telecommunications services sector was the top decliner in the US market on Wednesday.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: Himax Technologies Inc.(HIMX)

Himax Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, and markets semiconductors for flat panel displays. Its products include display drivers and timing controllers for various thin film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) panels, which are used in desktop monitors, notebook computers, televisions, and mobile handsets, as well as consumer electronics products comprising netbook computers, digital cameras, mobile gaming devices, portable DVD players, digital photo frame, and car navigation displays; and TFT-LCD television and monitor semiconductor solutions. The company also provides liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) products for palm-size mobile projectors; power management integrated circuits, which include drivers, amplifiers, DC to DC converters and other semiconductors; complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensors for camera-equipped mobile devices, such as mobile phones and notebook computers with a focus on lowlight image and video quality; and wafer level optics products. It serves TFT-LCD panel manufacturers, mobile device module manufacturers, and television makers. Himax Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By jaggom]

  Himax Technologies (HIMX) has touched new highs and was trading impressively on the stock market as a result of news that it will be supplying LCOS micro displays to Google. But the stock had run ahead of its fundamentals, and investors were buying more shares under the belief that Google Glass will lead Himax to new highs. Despite a slowdown in revenue and a string of bad quarterly results, Himax shares shone. But the scene has changed now.

• [By mitu77]

  Himax Technologies(HIMX) is gradually and relentlessly turning around after a woeful time in the recent past. Himax is seeing growth in every last bit of its product sections, including little and medium driver ICs, large board driver ICs, and non-driver ICs. One of the factors for the organization's development is solid interest from its Korean end client. The organization as of late was downsized by Bank of America. The liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) business of the organization, which was mostly reliant on Google Glass project, influenced the Bank�� update as the Google Glass launch was deferred. Anyhow investors ought to be hopeful about Himax's development as its products are ingredients of various gadgets & devices that are in high demand. In a long run, such updates (Bank of America pertinent to Google Glass) should not make a big deal in performance of the company.

• [By shash63]

  Himax (HIMX) is a company with a strong product portfolio. Despite the stock being beaten down massively in the recent past, the product portfolio of Himax could lead to growth as they are used in various gadgets like smartphones, LED drivers, lighting, and consumer electronics. The market for these products is rising. This opens up opportunity for Himax to drive revenue growth. Since the revenue of Himax is from diversified areas, it also offsets the decline, if witnessed from any individual segment.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: TotalFinaElf S.A.(TOT)

TOTAL S.A., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated oil and gas company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream, and Chemicals. The Upstream segment engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas. It also involves in the transportation, trade, and marketing of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as in LNG re-gasification and natural gas storage operations. In addition, this segment engages in the shipping and trade of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); power generation from gas-fired power plants, nuclear, or renewable energies; production, trade, and marketing of coal, as well as in solar power systems and technology operations. As of December 31, 2010, it had combined proved reserves of 10,695 Mboe of oil and gas. The Downstream segment involves in refining, marketing, trading, and shipping crude oil and petroleum products. It also produces a range of specialty products, s uch as lubricants, LPG, jet fuel, special fluids, bitumen, marine fuels, and petrochemical feedstock. This segment holds interests in 24 refineries located in Europe, the United States, the French West Indies, Africa, and China, as well as operates a network of 17,490 service stations. The Chemicals segment produces base chemicals, including petrochemicals and fertilizers, as well as engages in rubber processing, resins, adhesives, and electroplating activities. TOTAL S.A. was founded in 1924 and is based in Paris, France.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  At the same time, this is what makes Cheniere Energy such a difficult investment in 2014, it is still not generating any revenue from these ventures yet. Sure, the company receives some contract royalties from Total (NYSE: TOT  ) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) from when its facilities were geared for LNG import, but in no way do they cover the capital expenditures necessary to get these facilities up and running.�

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  But as each process is implemented, so too does the cost to extract oil increase. Today, every country in the Middle East is implementing some form of EOR to their oil fields. For some of the smaller countires, it has been in practice for years. Total (NYSE: TOT  ) has been using gas flooding in Abu Dhabi for more than 20 years. This is a telltale sign that the cost of extracting oil is getting more expensive for all players in the region.�

• [By Sara Sjolin]

  Shares of oil giant Total SA (FR:FP) � (TOT) �dropped 1.3%.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alyce Lomax]

  These figures are particularly impressive, given difficulties in the industry. Take former parent McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) , which reported results that analysts and investors found disappointing yesterday. The fast-food giant's comps increased an anemic 1%, and management disclosed "weak sales trends" with the warning that the rest of the year could remain difficult for its business.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Alamy McDonald's (MCD) is not in a good place these days, with sales slumping, quality concerns rising, and activists pushing for it to start paying its employees a living wage. It's against this backdrop of McDespair that a radical tech-fueled test may be the ticket to giving customers and some -- but not all -- employees what they want. The world's largest burger chain is expanding a test that started in two stores in California's Orange County where patrons could build customized gourmet burgers using tablets -- but still heading to the cashier to ring up the sale. The test is expanding this month in geography -- to two stores in San Diego -- and in scope. According to U-T San Diego, the new experience is upscale and convenient. Customers use the touch-screen devices to assemble gourmet burgers with 20 toppings like guacamole and garlic aioli and two roll choices (artisan or brioche). The cost? $5.49 plus tax. "Bacon, the only extra that costs extra, adds 80 cents," U-T San Diego reported. But, wait, there's more: The tablets now allow customers to scan credit and debit cards so orders are processed right away. Guests don't have to wait by the counter. Employees bring orders to the table on metal baskets. Employees bus the table afterward. In short, this tablet test finds McDonald's behaving more like a fast-casual chain or gourmet burger shop than the struggling fast-food behemoth that it is today. Take Two Tablets and Call Me in the Morning Folks who want to order meals outside of the custom-built upscale sandwiches still have to hit up a cashier. However, it's not much of a stretch to see these tablets eventually being able to handle the entire menu. A single person troubleshooting questions or tech issues can replace an army of cashiers. If McDonald's is able to run efficiently with fewer employees, couldn't it take these savings and give "Fight for $15" activists what they want: better wages for the folks whom they do keep around? In its present

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  The following look as though they will be the top five Dogs of the Dow for 2014: AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK), McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) and Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX).

• [By Marc Bastow]

  The qualifications for being a purple chip are basically a screen for stability and performance: smooth earnings profiles, including seven years of consecutive EPS growth, and market caps north of $1 billion. Not surprisingly, you’ll find Procter & Gamble (PG), McDonald’s (MCD) and IBM (IBM) on Macke’s list of what I’d call the “usual suspects.”

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: First Security Group Inc.(FSGI)

First Security Group, Inc. operates as the holding company for FSGBank that provides banking and financial products and services to various communities in eastern and middle Tennessee and northern Georgia. The company offers various deposit services, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It offers commercial loans, including loans to smaller business ventures, credit lines for working capital, short-term seasonal or inventory financing, and letters of credit; real estate?construction and development loans to residential and commercial contractors and developers; and consumer loans to individuals for personal, family, and household purposes, including secured and unsecured installment and term loans. The company also offers commercial mortgage loans to finance the purchase of real property; commercial leasing for new and used equipment, fixtures, and furnishings to owner-managed businesses; and leasing for forklifts, heavy equipment, and other machinery to owner-managed businesses primarily in the trucking and construction industries. It also provides trust and investment management, mortgage banking, financial planning, and electronic banking services, such as Internet banking, online bill payment, cash management, ACH originations, wire transfers, direct deposit, traveler?s checks, safe deposit boxes, United States savings bonds, and remote deposit capture, as well as equipment leasing. The company operates 38 full-service banking offices and 1 loan and lease production office. Its market areas include in Bradley, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Monroe, Putnam, and Union counties, Tennessee; and Catoosa and Whitfield counties, Georgia. First Security Group was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ning Jia]

  The case for First Security Group (FSGI) is interesting. It is bank holding company that is obscure, cheap and unloved. As the company completed the recapitalization earlier this year, I think the market has been under-appreciating its potential to return to growth and profitability as a result of the much-needed recapitalization.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  First Security Group (FSGI) operates as the holding company for FSGBank, which provides banking products and services to various communities in Tennessee and Georgia. This stock closed up 6.5% to $2.29 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $2.16-$2.30
  
  52-Week Range: $1.30-$7.45
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 80,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 509,606

  From a technical perspective, FSGI ripped higher here right above some near-term support levels at $2.14 to $2.12 with lighter-than-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of FSGI within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if FSGI manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.38 to $2.52 and then once it clears its 200-day moving average at $2.80 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in FSGI as long as it's trending above some key support levels at $2.14 to $2.12 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 509,606 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then FSGI will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from June that started at $5.08.