Top-Performing UBS Dividend Ruler Stocks Portfolio Makes Q4 Changes

In a new research report, the UBS Dividend Ruler team makes a deletion to the portfolio, as they look to continue the portfolio’s winning ways against the overall S&P 500. While actually trailing the index this year, since inception in 2004, the portfolio has outperformed on a cumulative basis by almost 50%.

Here are the changes to the portfolio and the top four Dividend Ruler portfolio members.

Yum Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) is famous for the company’s Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Pizza Hut brands. While the domestic U.S. business has been very solid for the most part, especially at the Taco Bell restaurants, the company has experienced numerous issues in China. That is one main reason for the stock’s removal from the list. The analysts also note that, given weaker earnings, the company’s payout ratio now stands at 58%, well above its stated dividend payout target range of 45% to 50%. The shares closed Monday at $70.84.

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Here are the four top-yielding domestic stocks in the portfolio currently.

Occidental Petroleum

This top energy stock is one of the high-yielding domestic stocks in the energy sector, and it is the highest paying Dividend Rulers company. Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY) announced last year it will continue to grow dividends and expects to begin buying back more shares this year and beyond, a double plus for shareholders.

Analysts feel that Occidental still faces the rebounding oil price correction with the strongest balance sheet in the sector, with net cash at year-end 2014 estimated at around $1.7 billion, and a whopping $11 per share of cash available for buy backs. With chemicals and other products helping to blunt the drop in oil, Occidental is well positioned to continue to ride out the storm.

The company recently announced a deal with Ecopetrol to invest up to $2 billion over the next decade to increase production at the La Cira-Infantas oil field in Colombia. According to reports from Reuters, the new round of investments will increase production in the region by more than 200 million barrels.

Occidental shareholders are paid an outstanding 4.08% dividend. The Thomson/First Call consensus target is $78.68. The stock closed on Monday at $73.04.

Dominion Resources

Many of the Wall Street firms that we cover are becoming more positive on utilities again after this year’s underperformance. Dominion Resources Inc. (NYSE: D) is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 24,600 megawatts of generation and 6,455 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation’s largest natural gas storage systems, with 928 billion cubic feet of storage capacity, and serves utility and retail energy customers in 13 states.

Dominion investors are paid a solid 3.65% dividend. The UBS price target is $79. The consensus price target is $79.29. The stock closed Monday at $72.

Invesco

This company is a financial services leader that has strong positions in both equity exchange traded funds (ETFs) and actively managed equity and debt mutual funds. Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) looks to be very well-positioned to capitalize on inflows into both segments, as well as higher asset prices, as many on Wall Street see a continuation of the six-year bull market.

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Invesco has marketed the PowerShares family of ETFs since 2006. The incredible growth and popularity of the product is why many on Wall Street remain so bullish on the stock. Many analysts see the company as best positioned to compete for share given mix, product offerings and attractive relative performance.

Invesco investors are paid a 3.31% dividend. The UBS price target is $45, above the consensus target of $41.47. The shares closed Monday at $32.63.

Microsoft

This top technology stock resides in the Dividend Ruler portfolio and gives investors some degree of mega-cap tech safety. Microsoft Inc. (NASDAQ: MSFT) stock has gapped up and down this year on earnings, and while the release of the new Windows 10 has put some focus back on the software giant, some bugs in the software have cause update issues, though they are reportedly completely dealt with.

Recently, among the large-cap information technology players for cloud computing, the feedback on Microsoft’s Azure offering was among the most positive, and many have been surprised at how frequently Azure was flagged as a rival to Amazons huge AWS service. Microsoft is discounting to big enterprise users and may be undercutting Amazon’s AWS platform on price.

Microsoft investors are paid a very solid 3.3% dividend. The consensus price target is $50.41. The stock closed Monday at $47.

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While the Dividend Rulers portfolio has underperformed so far this year, it is very possibly a function of the market overestimating the timing and extent of interest rates increases. With the Federal Reserve holding off in September and possibly until 2016, it is a good bet that the smart money looks at these solid dividend-paying leaders again.