Below are the 28 companies on our U.S. Dividend Watch List that are within 11% of their respective 52-week lows. Stocks that appear on our watch lists are not recommendations to buy. Instead, they are the starting point for doing your research and determining the best company to buy. Ideally, a stock that is purchased from this list is done after a considerable decline in the price and rigorous due diligence.
| Symbol | Name | Price | % Yr Low | P/E | EPS (ttm) | Dividend | Yield | Payout Ratio |
| WEYS | Weyco Group | 22.75 | 3.36% | 14.77 | 1.54 | 0.68 | 2.99% | 44% |
| MSFT | Microsoft Corporation | 27.25 | 3.77% | 14.73 | 1.85 | 0.92 | 3.38% | 50% |
| ED | Consolidated Edison | 55.78 | 4.01% | 14.64 | 3.81 | 2.42 | 4.34% | 64% |
| NJR | New Jersey Resources | 41.09 | 6.70% | 18.43 | 2.23 | 1.60 | 3.89% | 72% |
| YUM | Yum! Brands | 65.15 | 6.72% | 19.16 | 3.40 | 1.34 | 2.06% | 39% |
| SCG | SCANA Corporation | 46.28 | 6.83% | 14.88 | 3.11 | 1.98 | 4.28% | 64% |
| TEG | Integrys Energy Group Inc | 54.29 | 6.87% | 17.13 | 3.17 | 2.72 | 5.01% | 86% |
| IBM | IBM | 194.47 | 6.94% | 13.98 | 13.91 | 3.40 | 1.75% | 24% |
| SYBT | S.Y. BanCorp. | 22.32 | 7.00% | 12.13 | 1.84 | 0.80 | 3.58% | 43% |
| FDS | FactSet Research Systems | 91.39 | 7.04% | 21.55 | 4.24 | 1.24 | 1.36% | 29% |
| NWN | Northwest Natural Gas | 43.93 | 7.12% | 19.44 | 2.26 | 1.82 | 4.14% | 81% |
| WABC | Westamerica BanCorp. | 43.49 | 7.38% | 14.84 | 2.93 | 1.48 | 3.40% | 51% |
| PRK | Park National Corp. | 65.58 | 7.86% | 14.87 | 4.41 | 3.76 | 5.73% | 85% |
| AJG | Arthur J Gallagher & | 35.49 | 8.20% | 21.13 | 1.68 | 1.36 | 3.83% | 81% |
| LKFN | Lakeland Financial Corp. | 25.44 | 8.39% | 11.89 | 2.14 | 0.68 | 2.67% | 32% |
| AROW | Arrow Financial Corp. | 24.52 | 8.51% | 13.40 | 1.83 | 1.00 | 4.08% | 55% |
| THFF | First Financial Corp. | 29.49 | 8.94% | 11.34 | 2.60 | 0.96 | 3.26% | 37% |
| SON | Sonoco Products | 31.18 | 8.98% | 17.52 | 1.78 | 1.20 | 3.85% | 67% |
| CFR | Cullen/Frost Bankers | 58.22 | 9.09% | 15.40 | 3.78 | 1.92 | 3.30% | 51% |
| FRS | Frisch's Restaurants, Inc | 18.02 | 9.21% | 19.80 | 0.91 | 0.64 | 3.55% | 70% |
| FDO | Family Dollar Stores | 58.37 | 9.59% | 16.26 | 3.59 | 0.84 | 1.44% | 23% |
| MCY | Mercury General Corp. | 39.50 | 9.69% | 10.13 | 3.90 | 2.45 | 6.20% | 63% |
| PPL | PP&L Corporation | 29.38 | 10.12% | 10.57 | 2.78 | 1.44 | 4.90% | 52% |
| MSEX | Middlesex Water Company | 19.28 | 10.30% | 22.42 | 0.86 | 0.75 | 3.89% | 87% |
| INTC | Intel Corp. | 21.25 | 10.50% | 9.98 | 2.13 | 0.90 | 4.24% | 42% |
| PBCT | People's United Financial | 12.39 | 10.63% | 17.21 | 0.72 | 0.64 | 5.17% | 89% |
| MCD | McDonald's Corp. | 92.26 | 10.74% | 17.37 | 5.31 | 3.08 | 3.34% | 58% |
| OMI | Owens & Minor | 29.92 | 10.94% | 17.50 | 1.71 | 0.88 | 2.94% | 51% |
| 28 Companies | ||||||||
Watch List Review
At the top of our list is a footwear apparel manufacture, Weyco (WEYS). The stock has been trading in a narrow but upward range for 3 years. The lower range is $21.50 and the upper range is $24.50. This long time dividend increasing stock (28 years) is trading right in the mid-range. The earnings per share has been increasing at a steady pace, rising from $1.00 in 2009 to $1.55 presently. That rise of earnings, 15% annually, isn’t reflective of the stock price. The company has a strong balance sheet and should trade at much higher multiples than the current level of 14. This may be a good starting point to do some research on this small cap company.
Second on the list is Microsoft (MSFT). Although the company doesn't have a history of dividend increases for more than 10 years or more, we feel that it is a strong investment candidate and worth considering. The fundamental picture hasn’t changed since last week (found here). On the technical front, the stock has been on a declining trend since March 2012. The current consolidation of MSFT in the last three months might signal a bottom of the stock price and could decisively break above $27.70.