10 Best High Dividend Stocks For 2015

Tobacco companies have always offered high dividends, and are associated with strong balance sheets. Lorillard (LO) is one such company. Despite hailing from an unhealthy industry the company is poised to continue raising its safely maintained dividends. It will find plenty of tobacco huffers in the developing world, if it can build out its international presence. Below is some insight into the company.

The firm is a leader in e-cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems that simulate the smoking experience and give people a healthy injection of nicotine. Lorillard's flagship cigarette Newport is by far the most popular brand of mentholated cigarettes.

Lorillard produces cigarettes for both the premium and discount segments of the domestic cigarette market. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, increase in stock price during the past year and expanding profit margins.

Performance Report Card

LO stated net sales of $1.689 billion for the fourth quarter, signaling an increase of 1.4% year-on-year. LO registered an EPS of $0.82 for the recent fourth quarter, meaning an increase of $0.03 year-on-year, missing consensus estimates by about 0.47%. The company has been increasing its prices to maintain robust margins; for example LO increased net prices by 4% in the quarter. LO's gross margin was unchanged year-on-year, at 52%. However, analysts are expecting a 10.8% growth rate in the next five years.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch For 2016: Erie Indemnity Company (ERIE)

Erie Indemnity Company operates as a managing attorney for the Erie Insurance Exchange in the United States. The company provides sales, underwriting, and policy issuance services for the policyholders on behalf of the Erie Insurance Exchange. It operates 24 field offices in 11 states. The company was founded in 1925 and is based in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  Erie Indemnity Company (ERIE) operates as a managing attorney-in-fact for the subscribers at the Erie Insurance Exchange in the U.S. Dec. 4, the company increased its quarterly dividend 7.2% to $0.635 per share. The dividend is payable Jan. 22, 2014, to shareholders of record as of Jan. 7, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 3.6%.

10 Best High Dividend Stocks For 2015: CSX Corporation (CSX)

CSX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides rail-based transportation services. The company offers traditional rail service, and the transport of intermodal containers and trailers. It transports crushed stone, sand and gravel, metal, phosphate, fertilizer, food, consumer, agricultural, automotive, paper, and chemical products; and utility, industrial, and export coal to electricity-generating power plants, steel manufacturers, industrial plants, and deep-water port facilities. The company also provides intermodal transportation services through a network of approximately 50 terminals transporting manufactured consumer goods in containers in the eastern United States, as well as performs drayage services and trucking dispatch operations. In addition, it operates distribution centers and storage locations; connects non-rail served customers to the benefits of rail by transferring products, such as ethanol and minerals, from rail to trucks; engages in the real estate sale, leasing, acquisition, and management and development activities. CSX Corporation operates approximately 21,000 route mile rail network, which serves various population centers in 23 states east of the Mississippi River, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, as well as operates approximately 4,000 locomotives. It also serves production and distribution facilities through track connections to approximately 240 short-line and regional railroads. CSX Corporation was founded in 1978 and is based in Jacksonville, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Lately, the United Nations summit on climate change has put pressure on shares of coal producers. With several policymakers seeking restrictions on coal use across the world, the strategy toward greater coal exports that Norfolk Southern, CSX (NYSE: CSX  ) , and other railroads have hoped to take advantage of might not see the demand that investors want. If the long-term market prospects for coal are failing, then Norfolk Southern will have to work especially hard to keep growing.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Shares of CSX (NYSE: CSX) got a boost, shooting up 7.79 percent to $32.27. Canadian Pacific Railway (NYSE: CP) has reportedly approached CSX about a potential merger, that would create a $62 billion North American railway powerhouse, according to sources, as reported by WSJ. The approach made in the past week, was rebuffed by CSX, according to people familiar with the matter.

10 Best High Dividend Stocks For 2015: GasLog Ltd (GLOG)

GasLog Ltd. (GasLog), incorporated on July 16, 2003, is an owner, operator and manager of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. The Company is a holding company. Its subsidiaries conduct all of its operations and own all of its operating assets, including its ships. The Company operates in two segments: vessel ownership and vessel management. In the vessel ownership segment, the services provided primarily consist of chartering out company-owned LNG carriers, and in the vessel management segment the services provided consist of LNG carrier technical management services, as well as LNG carrier construction supervision services and other vessel management services provided to the Company�� vessel ownership segment and to external third parties.

In February 2011, GasLog Carriers Ltd. established two vessel-owning companies, GAS-five Ltd. and GAS-six Ltd. In March 2011, GasLog Carriers Ltd. established two vessel-owning companies, GAS-seven Ltd. and GAS-eight Ltd. In June 2011, GasLog Carriers Ltd. established two additional vessel-owning companies, GAS-nine Ltd. and GAS-ten Ltd. In June 2011, Ceres Shipping Ltd. (Ceres Shipping) transferred its interest in GasLog Ltd. to Blenheim Holdings Ltd. (Blenheim Holdings). In June 2011, an entity jointly owned by the Livanos and Radziwill families (Joint Venture Partner) sold its 49% interest in GAS-three Ltd., GAS-four Ltd., GAS-five Ltd. and GAS-six Ltd. to Ceres Shipping. Ceres Shipping contributed the 49% interest in GAS-three Ltd., GAS-four Ltd., GAS-five Ltd. and GAS-six Ltd. to Blenheim Holdings, who in turn contributed the 49% interest in these four vessel-owning companies to GasLog Ltd., which contributed the same to GasLog Carriers Ltd. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 100% interest in GAS-three Ltd., GAS-four Ltd., GAS-five Ltd. and GAS-six Ltd. On July 11, 2011 and September 5, 2011, the Company transferred its interest of two dormant subsidiaries, GasLog Holdings Limited and GasLog Services Limited, respectively, to Ceres Shi! pping.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� owned fleet consisted of 10 wholly owned LNG carriers. As of December 31, 2011, the Company managed and operated 14 LNG carriers, which included its owned ships, as well as 11 ships owned or leased by BG Group plc (BG Group), a participant in the worldwide energy and natural gas markets, and one additional LNG carrier in which it had a 25% interest. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned a 25% interest in Egypt LNG Shipping Ltd. (Egypt LNG), whose principal asset is the LNG carrier Methane Nile Eagle. The Company�� owned fleet includes the GasLog Savannah, the GasLog Singapore, four LNG carriers on order at Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (Samsung Heavy Industries) in South Korea, two LNG carriers on order at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, and two LNG carriers on order at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea.

The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary, GasLog LNG Services Ltd., (GasLog LNG Services) handles the technical management of its fleet. Through GasLog LNG Services, it provides technical ship management services for 12 LNG carriers owned by third parties in addition to management of the two LNG carriers operating in its owned fleet. The Company provides the services of its owned ships under time charters. The Company�� subsidiaries include GasLog Investments Ltd., GasLog Monaco S.A.M., Ceres LNG Employee Incentive Scheme Ltd., GasLog Carriers Ltd., GAS-one Ltd., GAS-two Ltd., GAS-three Ltd., GAS-four Ltd., GasLog Shipping Company Ltd., GasLog Shipping Limited and Egypt LNG Shipping Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rebecca McClay]

  And, GasLog Ltd. (NYSE: GLOG) is up 2.4% after it announced it has signed a memorandum of agreement to acquire the STX Frontier, a 153,600 cubic meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, from Singapore-based STX Pan Ocean LNG PTE. Ltd. The acquisition cost of the vessel is in the vicinity of US$160 million.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Last month saw two new master limited partnerships (MLPs) go public.�GasLog Partners�(NYSE: GLOP) is an offshoot of�GasLog�(NYSE: GLOG), which is an owner, operator and manager of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. GasLog (GLOG) owns the 2 percent general partner interest, all incentive distribution rights and a 49.8 percent limited partner interest in GLOP.

• [By Value Investor]

  GasLog (GLOG) is the parent company of GasLog Partners. The company is an owner, operator and manager of LNG carriers and works as a part of LNG logistics chain. In April 2012, the company had a fleet of 10 LNG carriers and since then GasLog has increased its capacity by 111% to 21 fully owned ships.

• [By Jan-e- Alam]

  GasLog (NYSE: GLOG  ) shares have come under pressure recently, as the news of the recent transaction between Teekay LNG Partners (NYSE: TGP  ) and BG Group (NASDAQOTH: BRGYY  ) raised growth concerns among investors. I will get to the details of the transaction and why I think the deal was not for GasLog later, but let's first take a look at GasLog and why I think the company stands to benefit from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) boom.

10 Best High Dividend Stocks For 2015: ImmunoGen Inc.(IMGN)

ImmunoGen, Inc. engages in the research and development of targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer using cancer biology, monoclonal antibodies, and highly potent cell-killing agents. The company develops its products using its Targeted Antibody Payload (TAP) technology. Its product candidates include Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), a Phase III clinical trial product for HER2+ breast cancer; lorvotuzumab mertansine (IMGN901), a Phase I clinical trial product, which targets CD56 found on small-cell lung cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, multiple myeloma, ovarian cancers, carcinoid tumors, and other cancers of neuroendocrine origin; IMGN529, a pre-investigational new drug stage drug for CD37+ B-cell malignancies, such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; and IMGN853, a preclinical stage product for cancers that overexpress folate receptor 1, including ovarian cancer. The company?s earlier-stage compounds in development stage comprise SAR3419, a Phase I clinical trial product for CD19+ B-cell malignancies, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; SAR650984, a Phase I clinical trial product for CD38+ hematological malignancies; SAR566658, a phase one clinical trial product for DS6+ solid tumors; and BT-062, a Phase I product for multiple myeloma. It has collaboration agreements with Amgen, Inc.; Bayer Schering Pharma AG; Biogen Idec MA Inc.; Biotest AG; Genentech, Inc.; Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc.; and sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC. ImmunoGen, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By RichardCox]

  While it is important to seek out well-established companies with a proven product line, it should be remembered that it is still possible to find long-term opportunities in companies that are still in the clinical stage. In these cases, risk can be reduced by identifying those companies with a diversified set of drug innovations. So, when smaller companies are limited in the types of diseases and treatments, there is generally less protection from investment risk. One example of a smaller company with strong product positioning is ImmunoGen (IMGN).

• [By Sean Williams]

  A moat of competition, but plenty of upside
  However, investors would probably be wise not to get too carried away with yesterday's news given that another therapy -- which I would certainly call revolutionary�-- known as Kadcyla for HER2-positive breast cancer was just approved in February. Kadcyla, developed by Roche�and ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: IMGN  ) piggybacks a toxin on an antibody and, using ImmunoGen's proprietary targeted antibody payload technology, delivers a higher dose of toxin directly to the targeted cancer, which has a signature protein that causes the release of the toxin from the antibody. In late-stage trials, Kadcyla improved PFS by 50% over the placebo to 9.6 months.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  While very upbeat on the sector as a whole, UBS was very cautious on sell-rated Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NASDAQ: IRWD) and ImmunoGen Inc. (NASDAQ: IMGN). Neutral-rated Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX) and Seattle Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: SGEN) were also viewed with a skeptical eye.

10 Best High Dividend Stocks For 2015: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  I've stood by Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) and supported the robotic surgical device maker through thick and thin all while short-sellers and skeptics have torn it apart. Last night, the ball was knocked decisively back to the pessimist's side of the court.

10 Best High Dividend Stocks For 2015: Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc.(PGNX)

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and commercialization of therapeutic products to treat the unmet medical needs of patients with debilitating conditions and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. Its primary programs focus on gastroenterology, oncology, and virology. The company offers RELISTOR (methylnaltrexone bromide) subcutaneous injection, a therapy for opioid-induced constipation. It is also conducting a Phase I clinical trial of a human monoclonal antibody-drug conjugate directed against prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a protein found at high levels on the surface of prostate cancer cells, as well as in blood vessels supplying other solid tumors. In addition, the company is developing PRO 140, a viral-entry inhibitor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is in Phase II clinical testing; and multiplex PI3-Kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Progenics Pha rmaceuticals, Inc. has license agreement with Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. for the development and commercialization of RELISTOR worldwide other than Japan. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Tarrytown, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, biotechnology company Progenics Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: PGNX  ) has received a distressing two-star ranking.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, biotechnology company Progenics Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: PGNX  ) has received a distressing two-star ranking.

• [By Anna Prior]

  A U.S. Food and Drug Administration office has approved Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.'s(SLXP) appeal to gain approval for expanded usage of a constipation drug it licensed from Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc.(PGNX), the companies said. Shares of Progenics climbed 12% to $4.75 premarket.

10 Best High Dividend Stocks For 2015: KKR(KKR)

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, and mezzanine investments in large cap companies. The firm will consider investments in all industries globally, with a focus on financial services, infrastructure, and renewable energy. It seeks a board seat in its portfolio companies. The firm holds a controlling interest in its portfolio companies after they go public. It typically holds its investment for a period of five years and more and exits through initial public offerings, secondary offerings, and sales to strategic buyers. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. was founded in 1976 and is based at New York, New York with additional offices across United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  If you look at the major publicly traded investment managers who invest in private equity ��Blackstone Group (BX), KKR (KKR), Apollo Global Management (APO) and Carlyle Group (CG) ��you��l notice that all but Fortress have stock prices in the $20s and $30s. FIG is one of those cheap stocks that�� traded below $10 since September 2008. It went public at $18.50 in February of that year, hitting its all-time high of $37 in its first day of trading. It�� been downhill ever since.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Stocks on the Move: GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTAT) is up 20.5% at $10.10 after earnings and signing deal to supply Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) with sapphire glass. Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) is up 8.5% at $13.03 following reports of an investment by KKR & Co. (NYSE: KKR). Oxygen Biotherapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: OXBT) is up 62.7% at $8.38 along with other biotech stocks making big moves today.

• [By Vera Yuan]

  The top contributing stock for the quarter was Treasury Wine Estates (ASX:TWE), an Australian-based vineyard operator and winemaker that also has significant assets in North America, as well as a global marketing and distribution business. During the quarter Treasury Wine Estates received a preliminary, highly conditional bid from a global investment firm, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), to purchase the company for AUD 4.70 per share. The bid was rejected, with management stating that the per-share offer amount undervalued the company. However, the board of directors indicated that the company would consider any new proposals that reflected a price closer to their perception of fair value. Discussions with KKR have since ended without any subsequent offers. We believe that management made the correct decision, as we too feel that the business value of Treasury Wine Estates is worth more than what KKR offered. We recently spoke with Treasury�� Chairman, Paul Rayner, and new CEO, Michael Clarke, with regard to this issue, in addition to recent management changes and a new AUD 35 million cost-cutting program, and we are confident that the company�� leadership team has been substantially improved and is working to increase Treasury Wine Estates��overall value for the benefit of shareholders.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  In the model equity income portfolio, Argus has recommended adding shares of Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) at $85.15 for a 3.4% allocation of the portfolio. The firm is selling its full holding of KKR�& Co. L.P. (NYSE: KKR). Since inclusion in January 2013, the KKR shares have appreciated 27% while providing an annual yield that has ranged as high as 6.7%. Argus sees the benefits of Clorox continuing ahead with it being a S&P Dividend Aristocrat.