Archives March 2025

Dogecoin (DOGE) has been a fan favorite in the crypto market, experiencing massive surges and wild fluctuations over the years. As of today, Dogecoin is trading at $0.24, a slight 1.23% decrease in the last 24 hours. While it’s clear that the hype surrounding Dogecoin has slowed, its bull run may not be completely over just yet. However, experts suggest that now could be the perfect time to consider shifting your investment strategy. Rexas Finance (RXS), an altcoin with immense growth potential, is emerging as a more promising buy. Specializing in real-world asset tokenization, including real estate, gold, and artwork, Rexas Finance is set to disrupt the crypto market. RXS has captured investor confidence, with its final presale stage almost complete and over 90% of tokens already sold. A listing price of $0.25, positions it as a major player in the blockchain market. For those seeking long-term growth and higher returns, swapping DOGE for RXS could be the strategic move for 2025.

Dogecoin’s Future Still Looks Bright

Dogecoin (DOGE), currently priced at $0.24 may be seeing a dip at the moment, but it’s not done pumping just yet. Despite recent price fluctuations, Dogecoin remains one of the most recognized cryptocurrencies, with a solid foundation in the market. It benefits from high liquidity and a massive user base, which gives it resilience during market corrections. Additionally, the growing trend of altcoin adoption, alongside new integrations and use cases, could trigger renewed interest and further price action. As more businesses and platforms begin accepting Dogecoin for transactions, its utility could continue to drive demand, setting the stage for potential rallies in the future.

Rexas Finance: Transforming Investment Through Blockchain Innovation

Rexas Finance is revolutionizing RWA investment by leveraging blockchain technology to remove traditional barriers. By enabling global access to high-value asset markets, it empowers investors to participate in premium opportunities without requiring significant capital. Its fractional ownership model makes investing more inclusive and accessible.

The platform simplifies tokenization through the Rexas QuickMint Bot, allowing seamless asset digitization, while the Rexas Token Builder enables users to create custom tokens without technical expertise. Beyond asset tokenization, Rexas Finance offers a range of cutting-edge blockchain solutions. The Rexas Launchpad provides a secure, multi-chain platform for fundraising. GenAI utilizes artificial intelligence to generate unique NFTs. Rexas Estate is transforming real estate investment through fractional ownership, offering passive income opportunities with minimal upfront costs. By prioritizing accessibility and innovation, Rexas Finance is actively shaping the future of the digital economy. Its strong community presence on Telegram and Discord further cements its position as a leader in blockchain technology.

Rexas Finance Presale Surpasses $46.3 Million

Rexas Finance (RXS) continues to gain momentum, with its presale raising over $46.3 million in its final stage. The token price, which began at $0.03, has surged nearly sevenfold to $0.20, demonstrating strong investor confidence. Unlike traditional projects that rely heavily on venture capital, Rexas Finance follows a community-first approach, granting retail investors early access and an opportunity to share in its success.

Investor trust is reinforced by a successful CertiK audit, ensuring high standards of security and transparency. Listings on top data tracking platforms have expanded its visibility and upcoming launches on three major exchanges in 2025 are expected to drive further demand.

To celebrate its achievements, Rexas Finance is giving back to its community with a $1 million giveaway. Twenty lucky winners are set to each receive $50,000 as a token of appreciation for their early support. This initiative highlights Rexas Finance’s commitment to long-term growth and solidifies its standing as a dominant force in the evolving blockchain market.

In conclusion, while Dogecoin has potential, Rexas Finance (RXS) offers a more promising long-term opportunity with its focus on asset tokenization and impressive presale success. RXS is set to disrupt the market and offers strong growth potential for savvy investors.

For more information about Rexas Finance (RXS) visit the links below:

Website: https://rexas.com

Win $1 Million Giveaway: https://bit.ly/Rexas1M

Whitepaper: https://rexas.com/rexas-whitepaper.pdf

Twitter/X: https://x.com/rexasfinance

Telegram: https://t.me/rexasfinance

Disclaimer: The views and opinions presented in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CoinCheckup. The content of this article should not be considered as investment advice. Always do your own research before deciding to buy, sell or transfer any crypto assets. Past returns do not always guarantee future profits.

As many Baby Boomers approach retirement, they also face rising living costs, housing prices, and health care, which is encouraging many to delay retirement or reenter the workforce.

Roughly 60% of Baby Boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1964, will be able to receive their full retirement age (FRA) Social Security benefits by the end of the year. Yet, only 10% of this generation are fully retired, according to a recent survey by Indeed Flex, an online job portal for temporary work.

In addition, almost half of Baby Boomers said they plan to keep working in 2025, and 35% were unsure if they will retire this year due to the high cost of living.

Consumer prices continue to rise for all Americans, but especially those nearing retirement age. In January 2025, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for those aged 62 years and older increased by 3.1% compared to a year prior and was 9.3% higher than the CPI for all Americans.

Some advocates have criticized Social Security’s annual Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for not keeping up with the inflation, and experts have said the lag has reduced retirees’ buying power. Additionally, Social Security is running out of money and may eventually be unable to provide retirees with full benefits.

“As the aging population heads into retirement age, many do not have enough money saved to live financially secure,” said Novo Constare, CEO and co-founder of Indeed Flex, in a press release. “Previous generations could rely on pensions and affordable living; today’s boomers are navigating a financial landscape where Social Security alone isn’t enough to meet their current needs.”

To bridge the gap between their retirement income and high costs of living, almost one in four retirees consider unretiring and working a temporary job for extra money, vacations, gifts, or socialization, Indeed Flex found.

The Next Market Move that Could be Bigger Than AI

I’m old enough to remember 1992, and maybe you are too. If not, imagine…

There is no Google, no Amazon and certainly no smartphones.

Maybe you watched Seinfeld on TV, and went to see Batman Returns at the movies.

I was listening to Nirvana’s Nevermind album on CD.

Although it existed, most people had not even heard of the Internet.

In those days if you wanted to send a message, you didn’t sent email – you picked up the phone or sent a fax. Email was used mostly inside businesses. AOL started to offer email access in the mid-‘90s.

Services we take for granted now either didn’t exist or were in their infancy.

Imagine if you could have seen what was coming. Imagine if you could have foreseen all the online services we take for granted today.

And what if you had invested in them?

If you had foresight, you might have bought Cisco Systems (CSCO), the company that built a lot of the infrastructure the Internet needed. Cisco went public in 1990 at a split-adjusted price of 6 cents. In 1992, CSCO was selling for around 31 cents.

By the start of 1997, the stock had gained more than 10X. By 2000, it had soared 100x.

Right now, we’re experiencing another revolution – this time in artificial intelligence (AI).

And the next step in the revolution is just now emerging on the horizon.

Just like Cisco built the plumbing for the Internet, a new pioneer is laying the groundwork for technology that will impact trillions of dollars in the global economy.

The “Magnificent 7” stocks are making big bets on this tech, and Louis Navellier is pointing toward this opportunity now.

Nvidia’s Next Big Move Could be Bigger

If you’re new to the Digest, Louis Navellier is a growth investing legend. MarketWatch hailed him as “The Adviser Who Recommended Google Before Anyone Else.”

And we’ve often highlighted his 2016 recommendation for his subscribers to buy Nvidia (NVDA).

Since that call, NVDA has become one of the biggest companies in the works, surpassing a $3 trillion market cap.

If you’ve held on since 2016…NVDA has soared as high as 7,000%.

Now, Louis is focused on the next phase of this technological breakthrough, and it’s adjacent to the trend that made NVDA a market leader.

It’s all about quantum computing.

Here is Louis’ explanation of Nvidia’s next move and the opportunity ahead.

Through the end of this decade, I predict the transistors in each of NVIDIA’s chips will be approaching the “atomic” level. So, sheer physics may prohibit it from making its chips any faster.

That’s a way off. But looking beyond this decade, NVIDIA plans to utilize quantum computing – a form of computing that essentially utilizes ones AND zeroes to perform calculations instead of either a 1 or 0, like traditional computing.

Why is that important?

Quantum computing has the potential to solve complex problems exponentially faster than traditional computers.

Not just a little faster… quantum computers can solve problems in minutes that would take classical computer years, or even centuries!

That means new possibilities in:

• scientific discoveries in the material behavior
• faster drug development
• revolutionary advances in materials science, and
• enhanced fraud detection and risk analysis in financial transactions.

Here is more from Louis:

I predict NVIDIA will help lead the charge to a breakthrough in this field to help speed up generative AI after its GPUs hit their physical limits. In fact, NVIDIA has a quantum cloud simulator up and running right now.

The point is that you are going to start hearing more about quantum computing in the years to come. And while NVIDIA is a remarkable company, and I anticipate holding this stock through the end of the decade, the biggest gains will likely come from smaller, dedicated quantum computing companies.

How Early Investors in Booms Get Rich

Louis has a long track record of finding just those kinds of “smaller, dedicated” companies in his Breakthrough Stocks service.

Louis launched Breakthrough Stocks in 1980. It’s the service that put his quantitative investing strategy on the map! Since then, it has evolved into Louis’ premium service dedicated to finding small-cap, early-stage companies that are setting up to be the market leaders of the future.

As always, the essence of Louis’ strategy is the same – invest only in companies with stellar fundamentals.

But with small-cap stocks, not every variable is equally weighted.

Small-cap stocks with strong sales and earnings growth routinely outperform the market.

When you combine fundamental strength factors with an emerging technology, the impact on a stock’s price can be explosive.

Below are some of the winners from Louis’ recent closed trades:

• Rambus Inc (RMBS), 1/3 position closed for a 159% gain in 16 months.
• CECO Environmental Corp (CECO), closed for a 152% gain in 25 months.
• e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (ELF), closed for a 69% gain in 16 months.

Here is how Louis describes his next big opportunity:

If you really want to make big gains, you have to start looking at the “pure play” quantum companies that NVIDIA and other Big Tech companies are partnering with.

To learn more about that strategy, you need to be prepared. So, that’s why I want to join me on Thursday, March 13, at 1 p.m. Eastern.

That’s when I’m hosting my exclusive briefing: The Next 50X NVIDIA Call.

My goal for this briefing is to get you AHEAD of the crowd… AHEAD of the news outlets…

Unlike the early internet days, where only a few visionaries saw what was coming, this time you have a chance to invest early.

Reserve your seat now for Louis exclusive briefing The Next 50X NVIDIA Call!

Enjoy your weekend,

Luis Hernandez

Editor in Chief, InvestorPlace

Updated on March 7th, 2025 by Nathan Parsh

Insurance can be a great business. Insurers collect revenue from policy premiums and make money by investing the accumulated premiums not paid out in claims, known as the float.

Even legendary investor Warren Buffet sees the value of insurance stocks –his investment conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B) owns GEICO, General Re, and more.

High profitability allows many insurance companies to pay dividends to shareholders and raise their dividends over time. For example, Aflac (AFL) has increased its dividend for 43 years in a row.

This means the company qualifies as a Dividend Aristocrat – a group of 69 companies in the S&P 500 Index with 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases.

You can download a free list of all 69 Dividend Aristocrats, along with important metrics like dividend yields and price-to-earnings ratios, by clicking on the link below:

 

Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividend’s own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.

This article will take an inside look at Aflac’s business model and what drives its impressive dividend growth.

Business Overview

Aflac was formed in 1955 by three brothers: John, Paul, and Bill Amos. Together, they came up with the idea to sell insurance products that paid cash if a policyholder got sick or injured. In the mid-twentieth century, workplace injuries were common, and no insurance product covered this risk.

Today, Aflac offers a wide range of products, including accident, short-term disability, critical illness, hospital indemnity, dental, vision, and life insurance.

The company specializes in supplemental insurance, which pays out to policyholders if they are sick or injured and cannot work. Aflac operates in the U.S. and Japan, with Japan accounting for approximately ~55% of the company’s net earned premiums. Because of this, investors are exposed to currency risk.

Aflac’s earnings will fluctuate based on exchange rates between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar. When the yen rises against the dollar, it helps Aflac because each yen earned becomes more valuable when reported in U.S. dollars.

Aflac’s strategy is to increase premium growth through new customers and increase sales to existing customers. It is also investing in expanding its distribution channels, including its digital footprint, in the U.S. and Japan.

Aflac continues to perform well overall. On February 5th, 2025, Aflac released fourth-quarter and full-year financial results.

Source: Investor Presentation

For the quarter, the company reported $5.4 billion in revenue, which was a 42.1% increase compared to Q4 of 2023. Net earnings equaled $1.9 billion, or $3.42 per share, compared to $268 billion, or $46 per share, in the prior year.

However, this included $1 billion in investment gains, which are excluded from adjusted earnings. On an adjusted basis, earnings-per-share equaled $1.56 versus $1.25 in the prior year. Revenue was $1.24 billion more than expected, while adjusted earnings-per-share was $0.06 below estimates.

For 2024, revenue improved 1.2% to $18.9 billion, and adjusted earnings-per-share were $7.21 compared to $6.23 in the prior year.

Aflac has also aggressive reduced its share count, repurchasing seven million shares at an average price of ~$107 in Q4 2024. The company has 47.3 million shares, or 8.6% of its outstanding share count, remaining on its repurchase authorization.

Growth Prospects

From 2007 through 2020, Aflac grew earnings-per-share by an average compound rate of 8.8% per year, although part of that improvement is related to tax reform. Also, remember that the Yen was generally weakening against the dollar for a good portion of the last decade.

Over the last 10 years, the company’s earnings-per-share had a CAGR of 9.9%, though that growth rate has slowed to 6.9% over the previous five years.

In Japan, Aflac wants to defend its strong core position while expanding and evolving to customer needs. To this point, Aflac Japan is expanding its “third-sector” product offerings. These include non-traditional products such as cancer insurance and medical and income support.

Aflac has enjoyed strong demand in Japan for third-sector products due to the country’s aging population and declining birth rate.

Aflac has two sources of revenue: income from premiums and income from investments. The premium side is generally sticky, with policy renewals making up the bulk of income. However, Aflac operates in two developed markets where we would not anticipate seeing outsized growth in the business.

The other lever available is on the investment side, where most of the portfolio is in bonds. In addition, the share repurchase program has been an important factor, and we believe it will continue to drive earnings per share.

We are forecasting 7% annual growth rate over the next five years.

Competitive Advantages & Recession Performance

Aflac has many competitive advantages. First, it dominates its niche. It operates in supplemental insurance products and is the leading company in that category. Its business model requires low capital expenditures and sells a product that enjoys steady demand.

Aflac’s strong brand is a key competitive advantage. Competition is intense in the insurance industry, considering the commodity-like nature of the products. To retain customers and attract new customers, Aflac invests heavily in advertising.

Aflac is also a recession-resistant company. It remained profitable even during the Great Recession:

• 2007 earnings-per-share of $1.64
• 2008 earnings-per-share of $1.31 (-20% decline)
• 2009 earnings-per-share of $1.96 (49.6% increase)
• 2010 earnings-per-share of $2.57 (31.1% increase)

Notably, Aflac had a tough year in 2008, which is understandable given the deep recession at the time. However, its earnings-per-share came roaring back in 2009 and 2010. More recently, the company continued to grow even during the worst COVID-19 pandemic. Aflac’s earnings-per-share have increased or remained stable over the last 10 years.

Valuation & Expected Returns

Over the last decade, shares of Aflac have traded hands with an average P/E ratio of roughly 11x times earnings.

We believe this is more or less fair value for the security, considering that many insurers trade at a comparable multiple. This lower average valuation multiple makes the robust share repurchase program more effective.

Ongoing owners are much better served if the company buys out past partners at 11x times earnings as opposed to, say, 15x—or 20x times earnings.

Based on 2025’s expected earnings-per-share of $6.93, shares are presently trading hands at 15.6 times earnings. As such, this implies an annual valuation headwind of 6.7% should shares revert to 11 times earnings over the next five years.

In addition, the 6% growth rate and 2.1% starting dividend yield should aid shareholder returns. When all three components are combined, this implies the potential for 2.6% annualized returns.

Aflac’s dividend appears very safe, with an expected dividend payout ratio of 33% for 2025. The dividend has room for future increases even if EPS growth slows. The dividend has a CAGR of 10.9 since 2015, but this growth rate accelerates to 15.7% over the last five years.

Final Thoughts

Aflac is a high-quality company with a profitable business and a strong brand.

The company has increased its dividend for 43 years in a row. Thanks to a low payout ratio and future earnings growth, it should continue to do so.

Aflac is not a high-dividend stock, with a current yield of 2.1%. However, it offers steady dividend increases and a highly sustainable payout.

However, shares are currently trading higher than the company’s historical valuation. This results in low single-digit total returns expected over the next five years, so the security earns a sell rating.

If you are interested in finding high-quality dividend growth stocks suitable for long-term investment, the following Sure Dividend databases will be useful:

The major domestic stock market indices are another solid resource for finding investment ideas. Sure Dividend compiles the following stock market databases and updates them monthly:

Updated on March 6th, 2025 by Nathan Parsh

At Sure Dividend, we are huge proponents of investing in high-quality dividend growth stocks. We believe companies with long history of raising their dividends will most likely reward their shareholders with superior long-term returns.

This is why we focus so intently on the Dividend Aristocrats.

Our review of each of the 69 Dividend Aristocrats, a group of companies in the S&P 500 Index with 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases, continues with medical supply company Becton Dickinson (BDX).

You can download an Excel spreadsheet with the full list of all 69 Dividend Aristocrats (plus important metrics like dividend yields and price-to-earnings ratios) by using the link below:

 

Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividend’s own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.

Becton Dickinson has grown into a global giant. In 2017, it completed its $24 billion acquisition of C.R. Bard, its largest acquisition ever, bringing together two huge companies in the medical supply industry. Much more recently, in September 2024, it completed its $4.2 billion purchase of Edward Lifesciences’ (EW) Critical Care segment.

The industry’s fundamentals remain very healthy. Aging global populations, growing healthcare spending, and expansion in emerging markets are attractive growth catalysts. In this article, we examine Becton Dickinson’s investment prospects.

Business Overview

Both Becton Dickinson and C.R. Bard have long operating histories. C.R. Bard was founded in 1907 by Charles Russell Bard, an American importer of French silks, after he began importing Gomenol to New York City. At the time, Gomenol was commonly used in Europe, and Mr. Bard used it to treat his discomfort from tuberculosis.

By 1923, C.R. Bard was incorporated. Later, it developed the first balloon catheter, and slowly expanded its product portfolio.

Meanwhile, Becton Dickinson has been in business for more than 120 years. Today, the company employs more than 75,000 employees in over 50 countries. It generates approximately $20 billion in annual revenue, and slightly more than 40% of annual sales come from outside the U.S.

With the addition of C.R. Bard, Becton Dickinson now has three segments: Medical, Life Sciences, and Intervention, which houses products manufactured by Bard. The company sells products in several categories within these businesses. Some of its core product categories include diagnostics, infection prevention, surgical equipment, and diabetes management.

On February 5th, 2025, BD released earnings results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, which ended on December 31st, 2024.

Source: Investor Presentation

For the quarter, revenue grew 9.8% to $5.17 billion, which beat estimates by $60 million. On a currency neutral basis, revenue grew 9.6%. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $3.43 compared favorably to $2.68 in the prior year and was $44above expectations.

Organic growth was 3.9% for the period. For the quarter, U.S. grew 12% while international was up 6.7% (up 6.3% on a reported basis). COVID-19 diagnostic revenue was not material during the period.

The Medical segment grew 1.7% to $2.62 billion due to improvements in Mediation Management Solutions and Medication Delivery Solutions. Life Science revenue was up 0.5% to $1.30 billion as gains in Diagnostics Solutions and Specimen Management were partially offset by weaker results in Biosciences. Interventional increased 5.5% to $1.26 billion due to growth in all businesses.

BD provided an updated outlook for fiscal year 2025 as well. The company expects revenue in a range of $21.7 billion to $21.9 billion for the fiscal year, down from $21.9 billion to $22.1 billion previously.  Adjusted earnings-per-share is projected to be in a range of $14.30 to $14.60, compared to $14.25 to $14.60 previously.

Growth Prospects

Becton Dickinson has several avenues for future growth. For starters, the company is a leader in many of the areas that it competes.

Source: Investor Presentation

The company’s products and services are trusted by customers, making them a key component throughout the sector.

Second, aging demographics should provide tailwinds to the sector in general and the company in particular. Last year, the percentage of the global population that was at least 65 years old reached 10%, this is double what it was in the 1970s. This age group is projected to reach 1.6 billion, or 16% of the world’s population, by 2050. As people age, their need for healthcare services increases.

Becton Dickinson has been fairly active in acquisitions, with Bard being one of it largest purchases ever. The company benefits from a size and scale that makes it likely that it will continue to be able to add to its core businesses through bolt on acquisitions.

Becton Dickinson is also about to undergo a transformation to its business model. The company announced at the time of its mostly recent quarterly report that it is going to separate its Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions businesses by the end of fiscal year 2026 as it looks to become a more pureplay medical device company. This could earn the stock a higher multiple from the market as these are much higher margin businesses and the ones likely to see sustained growth in the future.

BDX has increased earnings-per-share by approximately 7% per year over the past 10 years, and has grown earnings in 8 out of the last 10 years. We feel the company can grow earnings-per-share at a rate of 8% per year through fiscal 2030.

Competitive Advantages & Recession Performance

Becton Dickinson has significant competitive advantages, including scale and a vast patent portfolio, due to its high investment spending.

Becton Dickinson spends over $1 billion per year on research and development. This spending has certainly paid off, with strong revenue and earnings growth over the past several years. The company has obtained leadership positions in their respective categories because of product innovation, a direct result of R&D investments.

These competitive advantages provide the company with consistent growth, even during economic downturns. Becton Dickinson steadily grew earnings during the Great Recession. Becton Dickinson’s earnings-per-share during the recession are as follows:

• 2007 earnings-per-share of $3.84
• 2008 earnings-per-share of $4.46 (16% increase)
• 2009 earnings-per-share of $4.95 (11% increase)
• 2010 earnings-per-share of $4.94 (0.2% decline)

Becton Dickinson generated double-digit earnings growth in 2008 and 2009, during the worst years of the recession. It took a small step back in 2010, but continued to grow in the years since, along with the economic recovery.

The ability to consistently grow earnings each year of the Great Recession, which was arguably the worst economic downturn in decades, is extremely impressive.

Becton Dickinson also performed well during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic as the company benefited from the increased demand for healthcare equipment.

The reason for its strong financial performance, is that health care patients need medical supplies. Patients cannot choose to forego necessary healthcare supplies. This keeps demand steady from year to year, regardless of the condition of the economy.

Becton Dickinson has a unique ability to withstand recessions, which explains its 52-year history of consecutive dividend increases. Becton Dickinson’s dividend is also very safe based on its fundamentals.

Valuation & Expected Returns

Using the midpoint for estimated earnings-per-share of $14.45 for the fiscal year 2025, the stock has a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.5x. Our fair value estimate for BDX stock is a P/E ratio of 19x, meaning shares appear undervalued. Multiple expansion to the fair value P/E could increase annual returns by 4.2% per year over the next five years.

But valuation isn’t the only factor in estimating total returns. BDX will also generate returns from earnings growth and dividends.

As far as dividends go, Becton Dickinson remains a quality dividend growth stock. It has a very secure payout and room for growth. Based on fiscal 2025 earnings guidance, Becton Dickinson will likely have a dividend payout of 29%.

This is a very low payout ratio. It leaves plenty of room for sustained dividend growth moving forward, particularly since earnings will continue to grow.

We project annual returns of 13.8% through fiscal year 2030, stemming from 8% earnings growth, the current dividend yield of 1.9%, and the 4.2% yearly boost from P/E expansion. The expected annual return earns the stock a buy recommendation.

Final Thoughts

Becton Dickinson’s business continues to perform very well. Given the positive growth outlook for the healthcare industry, we feel that Becton Dickinson has room for strong earnings growth.

In addition, Becton Dickinson is highly likely to increase its annual dividend for many years. Becton Dickinson is an attractive stock for dividend growth investors with expected total returns of nearly 14% per year and a safe and growing dividend.

Additionally, the following Sure Dividend databases contain the most reliable dividend growers in our investment universe:

If you’re looking for stocks with unique dividend characteristics, consider the following Sure Dividend databases:

Editor’s Note: Everyone dreams of finding that 10X winner.

The reality? Many investors have owned a stock that would go on to be a 10X winner, but they sold it somewhere along the way due to fear.

Today, my colleague Louis Navellier will provide a great illustration: Nvidia Corp. (NVDA). Since Louis recommended it in May 2019, the stock has surged over 3,000% – but not without massive volatility (the latest example is the 20% pullback in recent weeks after the arrival of Chinese AI firm DeepSeek).

As Louis details, market narratives shift, but fundamentally strong stocks recover, which Nvidia has done. The chip giant remains a powerhouse, leading the AI revolution. And though Louis believes it still has room to run, it won’t be the only next big AI winner.

Louis has identified seven under-the-radar companies primed for massive gains as AI has its Crossover Moment – expanding beyond digital applications into real-world automation, infrastructure, and industry.

The biggest profits will go to those who see what’s coming next. Take it away, Louis…

If you could make a better than 1,000% gain in a stock, would you invest in it?

Virtually every investor would answer that question with a resounding “Yes!”

But holding a stock long enough to get that big of a return is much easier said than done. The reality is that a stock never moves straight up. To walk away with a 1,000%-plus profit, you have to endure swings in stock prices, sometimes so severe that they’ll have you reaching for your antacids.

Case in point: Nvidia Corporation (NVDA).

In my 47 years on Wall Street, Nvidia is my biggest winner – up more than 3,000% since I recommended it back in May 2019.

In today’s note, I want to remind you of NVIDIA’s somewhat obscure origins (unless you’re a gamer)… and how a surprising twist in how its technology worked brought it to my attention.

That’s an interesting story.

A more crucial story is what exactly hit NVIDIA’s share price earlier this year… and where its next leg up will come from. So, we’ll take a look at that, too.

That said, while I still think it has plenty of room to run, the next chapter of the AI story won’t be written by NVIDIA.

So, I’ll also start digging into where the next wave of AI profits is coming from. NVIDIA’s CEO says it’s a $100 trillion opportunity.

And I’ve identified seven fast-rising ways to play it already.

Take a look…

Why I Recommended Nvidia

Nvidia is a leading computer graphics company that makes graphics processing units (GPUs).

Originally, graphics were only prized by video game enthusiasts. But it turns out that GPUs have a wide range of powerful applications. They can be used to aid computers in applications like financial modeling, oil and gas exploration, virtual reality and even self-driving cars.

So, in the late 2010s, Nvidia began receiving some unusual orders. Not only were crypto enthusiasts buying up high-end GPUs to mine bitcoin… but machine-learning researchers were also using the cards to train their models.

It turns out that GPUs are really good for something called “parallelization.” This is where you break down a large computational task into smaller ones that can be calculated independently and simultaneously. That makes GPUs extremely powerful – far more than even the best central processing units (CPUs) in these types of computations.

Data storage provider Pure Storage estimates that GPUs are roughly three times faster than an equivalent CPU for machine-learning algorithms. That is an enormous advantage in a world where large models can require months to train and cost millions of dollars.

That put Nvidia on the fast track to success. Thanks to its portfolio of valuable patents and internal research, Nvidia got an enormous head start on the AI Boom. No company came close.

What originally got me excited about Nvidia was what it was doing with the development of autonomous vehicles. My son was an engineering student at Stanford when that university debuted an autonomous race car named “Shelley” that used Nvidia chips.

Back in 2019, when I learned what Nvidia was planning to do with AI, I pulled the trigger and added it to the Buy List at my large-cap newsletter, Growth Investor.

Now, as I mentioned, it’s now up more than 3,000% since my recommendation, but those gains didn’t come easily. As you can see in the chart below, NVDA has experienced some wild swings…

One of those swings came just a couple of weeks ago, on January 27, when shares of Nvidia lost 17%. That’s a staggering $589 billion loss in market cap – the largest one-day value destruction for a single stock in market history.

The reason? A Chinese AI company called DeepSeek.

Here’s the story…

How to Survive a Painful Drawdown

On January 20, a Chinese AI company, DeepSeek, released a new AI model called R1 that it claims is nearly on par with American AI models. In fact, DeepSeek claims the R1 model has a comparable performance to OpenAI’s o1-mini model for ChatGPT.

What’s more, it utilizes inferior Nvidia chips, called H800s, that are compliant with the export bans that were put in place by the Biden administration.

Oh, and the company claims it was built in about two months and cost just $5.6 million to train.

As a result, DeepSeek became the No. 1 app downloaded from the Apple Inc. (AAPL) App Store.

Wall Street and the tech world began to put all of this together at the end of January. And it hammered AI stocks… and the market as a whole. The fact is that DeepSeek caused everyone to start questioning the entire roadmap of how AI is supposed to evolve.

Some investors began wondering whether the U.S. tech sector will win the AI race – for two big reasons…

1. Cost Efficiency: If DeepSeek’s AI models perform similarly to American AI models at a fraction of the cost, then it means American programmers and engineers missed something. And it throws into question the U.S. lead on AI development.
2. Reduced Hardware Usage: DeepSeek has stated that it uses far fewer chips for AI training. A report released in December showed it only used a cluster of more than 2,000 Nvidia chips to train its V3 model, while five times that number is typically used for similar AI training models.

Both raised concerns that Nvidia was overvalued… and triggered questions about the necessity for more data centers and an electricity grid buildout.

However, we have since learned that DeepSeek isn’t as great as it was made out to be. For one, the app crashes about 99% of the time. Apparently, DeepSeek doesn’t have the cloud computing capacity needed to run it. It’s also been the victim of a cyberattack.

Most importantly, the narratives that DeepSeek could use the old Nvidia chips and that Nvidia’s new ones weren’t necessary were completely false.

Once this was revealed, AI stocks came roaring back. NVDA has gained 11% in less than three weeks – which is impressive for such a large company.

The point is, if you want to bag a 1,000% gain, there are going to be bumps along the way.

There will be headlines, setbacks, naysayers, you name it… Any one of these could derail a stock.

But the fundamentally superior stocks – like Nvidia – always bounce back.

The Next Leg Higher – and a $100 Trillion Opportunity

Now, I have gone on record saying that there will be more gains ahead for NVIDIA. In fact, I have even called it the Stock of the Decade.

In other words, this stock will change your life.

The fact is that NVIDIA’s pace of innovation isn’t slowing down, folks. It’s accelerating.

Eventually, the transistors in each of Nvidia’s chips will approach the “atomic” level. Then, the laws of physics will come into play. But that’s OK, because then Nvidia will move on to quantum computing.

We’re still a ways off from that. But the good news is that there is another major catalyst that should not only help NVDA recoup its DeepSeek losses, but also get back to new highs.

I’m talking about its fourth-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, February 26.

Analysts are calling for earnings of $0.85 per share on revenue of $38.13 billion, up from earnings of $0.52 per share and revenue of $22.1 billion a year ago. That translates to 63.5% year-over-year earnings growth and 72.5% year-over-year revenue growth. Analysts have upped earnings estimates over the past three months, so a fifth-straight earnings surprise is likely.

Now, Nvidia has a history of posting positive earnings surprises. So, I’m expecting big things from the stock as we approach its earnings announcement.

I will also be particularly interested to hear from its superstar CEO, Jensen Huang, and his thoughts on what he has previously referred to as a $100 trillion opportunity…

Specifically, Huang was referring to a critical turning point for artificial intelligence – one where AI breaks out of the digital world and steps into the real one – running self-driving cars and equipment, automating factories, training robotic workers… even building “digital twins” of entire cities.

This shift is massive. And investors who see where it’s headed right now stand to benefit the most.

I call this AI’s Crossover Moment – and it could create more wealth than any other tech boom in history.

This is where AI stops being a “cool tool” and starts actively transforming industries, infrastructure and daily life.

That means the biggest profits won’t be in just NVIDIA’s chips…

They won’t necessarily be in Big Tech at all.

But my proven system has generated Buy-grades on seven under-the-radar companies that I believe are ready to surge as this $100 Trillion AI Crossover moment unfolds.

Go here for details NOW.

Sincerely,

Louis Navellier

Senior Investment Analyst, InvestorPlace

Updated on March 6th, 2025 by Nathan Parsh

PPG Industries (PPG) is one of the largest paint companies in the world. It is also one of the most reliable dividend stocks in the market—PPG has paid dividends every quarter since 1899.

Moreover, the company has increased its dividend each year for the last 53 years, which qualifies it for the exclusive Dividend Aristocrats list.

This is a group of 69 stocks in the S&P 500 Index that have had at least 25 consecutive years of dividend growth.

We consider the Dividend Aristocrats to be among the elite dividend-paying companies. With this in mind, we created a full list of all 69 Dividend Aristocrats.

You can download the entire Dividend Aristocrats list, with important financial metrics like dividend yields and P/E ratios, by clicking on the link below:

 

Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividend’s own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.

The stock is also on the exclusive list of Dividend Kings.

PPG’s remarkable dividend consistency gives it broad appeal to the more conservative members of the dividend growth investing community.

Indeed, the company’s strong business model ensures a very safe dividend payment and room for steady dividend increases each year. This is still very much the case today.

This article will analyze PPG’s investment prospects in detail and determine whether the company merits a buy recommendation at current prices.

Business Overview

PPG Industries was founded in 1883 as a glass manufacturer and distributor. The company’s name, Pittsburgh Plate Glass, refers to its original operations.

Over time, PPG has made remarkable strides to become a leader in the paints and coatings industry.

With annual revenues of about $16 billion, PPG’s only competitors of similar size are fellow Dividend Aristocrat Sherwin-Williams (SHW) and Dutch paint company Akzo Nobel (AKZOY).

Thanks to its worldwide operating presence and focus on technology and innovation, PPG Industries has grown to such an impressive size.

On January 31st, 2025, PPG Industries reported fourth-quarter and full year results for the period ending December 31st, 2024.

Source: Investor Presentation

For the quarter, revenue declined 4.6% to $3.73 billion, which was $241 million less than expected. Adjusted net income of $375 million, or $1.61 per share, compared to adjusted net income of $372 million, or $1.56 per share, in the prior year. Adjusted earnings-per-share was $0.02 below estimates.

For the year, revenue from continuing operations decreased 2% to $15.8 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $7.87 was up slightly from $7.67 in 2023.

Fourth-quarter organic revenue growth fell 2% as pricing was flat and volume was down 2%. Global Architectural Coatings’s revenue, formerly part of Performance Coatings, fell 7% to $881 million. Volume declined 2%, pricing was flat, and currency exchange reduced results by 5%.

Performance Coatings grew 2% to $1.26 billion as volume and pricing offset currency exchange. Aerospace demand remained high while protective and marine coatings were also up during the period.

The Industrial Coatings segment fell 9% to $1.59 billion due to weakness in U.S. and European industrial production.

PPG Industries repurchased ~$750 million of shares during 2024 and has $2.8 billion, or ~10.7% of its current market capitalization, remaining on its share repurchase authorization.

For 2025, the company expects organic sales to be higher by a low single-digit percentage and adjusted earnings-per-share in a range of $7.75 to $8.05. At the midpoint, this would represent a small improvement from 2024.

Growth Prospects

A company’s ability to increase revenues and profits is largely a function of its capital allocation.

In recent years, PPG has spent billions of dollars buying its next generation of growth. It tries to maintain a somewhat balanced capital allocation strategy, but it is also not afraid to spend big on acquisitions when opportunities present themselves.

PPG has spent much more of its deployed cash on share repurchases than its competitors, which has been a major source of earnings-per-share growth over time.

Acquisitions have been a key growth driver for PPG for many years. That growth has come at a cost, namely an increase in the company’s debt.

PPG is now virtually exclusively a coatings business. In recent years, the company has transformed away from legacy businesses like glass and chemicals, leaving it with a portfolio of coatings products that collectively generate nearly $16 billion in annual revenue. These businesses have largely seen improvements in margins in recent years.

Source: Investor Presentation

Its track record suggests that its underlying business is likely to continue growing at a satisfactory rate for the foreseeable future. In the past decade, the company has grown its earnings-per-share at an average rate of just under 5%, but this growth rate expands somewhat to 6.7% when looking at just the last five years.

Given its strong fundamentals and focus on coatings, we believe investors can reasonably expect 7% adjusted earnings-per-share growth from PPG Industries through full economic cycles.

However, PPG’s performance is likely to suffer during periods of economic recession. The good news is that we would likely see such an event as a buying opportunity for this high-quality business.

Competitive Advantages & Recession Performance

PPG enjoys several competitive advantages. It operates in the paints and coatings industry, which is economically attractive for several reasons. First, these products have high profit margins for manufacturers.

They also have low capital investment, which results in significant cash flow. As discussed above, PPG has used this significant cash flow over time.

Given all this, it makes sense that only two coatings companies (Sherwin-Williams and PPG Industries) are on the Dividend Aristocrats list.

That said, the paint and coatings industry is not recession-resistant because it depends on healthy housing and construction markets. This impact can be seen in PPG’s performance during the 2007-2009 financial crisis:

• 2007 adjusted earnings-per-share: $2.52
• 2008 adjusted earnings-per-share: $1.63 (35% decline)
• 2009 adjusted earnings-per-share: $1.02 (37% decline)
• 2010 adjusted earnings-per-share: $2.32 (127% increase)

PPG’s adjusted earnings-per-share fell by more than 50% during the last major recession and took two years to recover.

As PPG’s 2020 results showed, the decline in new construction is the dominant factor during a recession. The 2020 recession was no different, as PPG faced factory shutdowns and severely reduced consumer demand, although that proved to be transitory.

While this Dividend Aristocrat’s long-term prospects remain bright, investors should be willing to accept volatility in a recession.

Valuation & Expected Total Returns

We are forecasting earnings-per-share of $7.90 for the fiscal year of 2025, putting the price-to-earnings ratio at 14.6. This is below our fair value estimate of 19 times earnings, meaning PPG is undervalued today.

As such, we expect total returns from valuation expansion to increase by 5.5% annually over the next five years.

In total, we project that PPG will return 14.6% annually through 2030, stemming from 7% earnings growth and the starting yield of 2.4%, along with a 5.5% annualized return from an expanding P/E multiple.

Given this, we continue to rate PPG a buy.

Final Thoughts

PPG Industries has many of the characteristics of a very high-quality business. Its proven business model has allowed the company to weather any recession.

It also has a significant international presence and multiple catalysts for future growth. Lastly, it has increased its dividend for more than 50 years.

PPG’s dividend outlook is exemplary and we see many more years of dividend increases on the horizon. With expected annual returns approaching 15%, we rate PPG stock a buy.

If you are interested in finding high-quality dividend growth stocks suitable for long-term investment, the following Sure Dividend databases will be useful:

The major domestic stock market indices are another solid resource for finding investment ideas. Sure Dividend compiles the following stock market databases and updates them monthly:

A small group of people in a quiet New Hampshire office spends their days making deals that have ripple effects across the country.

The work they do influences what you pay at the grocery store, in restaurants and at diners.

Day after day, they connect buyers and sellers in one of the most important markets in the country.

This market isn’t stocks or real estate. It’s not oil or gold, either.

But when it goes haywire, everyone feels it.

And it all happens out of a tiny, nondescript office building.

Here’s what it looks like in the Street View on Google Maps.

This is a picture of the Egg Clearinghouse, or ECI. It operates as a “middleman,” connecting egg buyers and sellers in an online marketplace.

But this isn’t some boiler-room operation for Wall Street operators. Only farmers and egg buyers are allowed to trade.

And as The Wall Street Journal recently reported, last year it processed trading orders on 2.6 billion shell eggs and 39 million pounds of egg products. That’s roughly $600 million in transactions.

That may sound like a lot, but it actually only represents about 5% of the egg market.

However, given that America is facing a historic egg shortage, the work the folks at the ECI do is becoming increasingly important because bulk buyers for restaurants and supermarkets are having trouble acquiring the eggs they need.

I’m sure you can sympathize.

Maybe you’ve taken a trip to the grocery store recently and experienced sticker shock as you paid $7 for a dozen eggs. Or, as you strolled down the aisle, maybe you saw a sign that read something like this:

Or perhaps you’ve been to a restaurant recently and noticed they raised prices or scrapped menu items with eggs altogether. Even Waffle House – famous for its resilience during hurricanes and disasters – has been forced to pass rising costs onto customers, recently adding a $0.50 surcharge to dishes with eggs.

So, in today’s Market 360, I’m going to discuss what’s behind the egg shortage and the shocking jump in egg prices. (Hint: It’s the age-old story of supply and demand.) I’ll also share how one of my top picks in my Breakthrough Stocks service is profiting from this historic shortage. Plus, I’ll explain how it’s leveraging a monumental event I’ve been calling the AI Crossover to not only survive the shortages – but to dominate the market.

HOW Much for Eggs?!?

Let’s start with what’s been happening with egg prices lately…

Most folks have probably noticed that they’ve been particularly volatile over the past couple of years. But recently, the price of eggs hit a 45-year high.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a dozen eggs cost $3.65 in November and $4.15 in December. By January 2025, the price of a dozen eggs reached a whopping $7.09 – up 22% since the start of the year, an increase of $1.28 per dozen in just a few weeks.

The reason for the price surges is pretty simple.

Over the past three years, a terrible avian influenza epidemic has been tearing through farms across the country.

Avian Influenza, or the “bird flu,” in chicken flocks typically occurs when migratory waterfowl pass over farms. The bird flu usually spikes in the spring and fall. And while it doesn’t typically infect humans, it’s a serious health risk for chickens.  

The CDC reports that about 147 million birds in the U.S. have been affected by the disease since January 2022. Specifically, about 108 million egg-laying hens have been lost.

To put this into perspective, there are about 303.4 million egg-laying hens in the U.S. right now. So, this is a staggering number, folks.

In the fourth quarter of 2024 alone, outbreaks spread throughout 10 states, affecting more than 36 million egg-laying hens. So, over the past four months, nearly 12% of the U.S.’s egg-laying hens have been culled.

Now, with smaller egg-laying flocks of chickens, there are fewer eggs to keep up with Americans’ seemingly insatiable appetite. According to Statista, the average American ate 281.3 eggs in 2023, which was expected to rise to 284.4 in 2024.

The result has been the worst crisis in decades for the poultry industry.

Consumers are scrambling to find alternatives. Some are even going as far as buying chickens and raising them on their own in their backyard.

But for producers, rebuilding supply isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. There’s no quick fix.

That’s where one of my top picks in Breakthrough Stocks comes in.

How We’re Profiting From the Egg Shortage

Now, this company partners with family farms to produce a variety of ethically-produced foods, with a specific focus on pasture-raised eggs. 

What’s more, it has largely been insulated from the avian flu outbreak. According to the CEO, only one of its farms had reported cases within the last 12 months, and those flocks were culled in accordance with government regulations.

Less than 0.3% of this company’s egg-laying chickens have been affected by the avian flu.

In fact, as of right now, there have been no reported cases of avian flu on any of its properties.

That might have something to do with the fact that it uses a decentralized network of more than 425 family farms throughout the U.S. So, if an outbreak happens, it doesn’t ravage the overall supply.

So unlike competitors who have had to destroy entire flocks, this company remains well-positioned to benefit from increased egg prices.

Even better – it’s using cutting-edge technology to scale production faster than ever before. And believe it or not, it’s actually using artificial intelligence to help…

The AI Crossover Angle

As egg producers work to restore supply and meet rising demand, this company is taking a technology-first approach, using AI and automation to scale more efficiently than ever before. 

For example, itprocesses 6 million eggs daily with robotic automation and AI-driven quality control at one facility. 

It also has an AI egg grading system (no, you’re not misreading that). We’re talking about automation technology used in washing, sorting and packing shell eggs that is set to boost production by 30% in 2025.

This will give the company a massive competitive edge as egg demand continues skyrocketing. 

For an industry that desperately needs a solution, this company is ahead of the curve. And AI is helping them along the way.

Now, I realize that using AI to help with eggs may seem like a bizarre example. But the reality is AI is launching into a whole new realm and will touch our everyday lives in ways we haven’t even though of yet – like eggs.

That’s going to create a gargantuan opportunity for investors. In fact, NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang said it could amount to a $100 trillion market.

That’s why I included it as one of the picks in my exclusive report about the AI Crossover Moment: The 7 Must-Own Stocks for AI’s $100 Trillion Proliferation.

Now, I share more details on what you need to do to prepare in my special presentation. But you’ll need to act fast, because my publisher is taking this briefing down tonight.

Go here to get all the details now.

Sincerely,

Louis Navellier

The Editor hereby discloses that as of the date of this email, the Editor, directly or indirectly, owns the following securities that are the subject of the commentary, analysis, opinions, advice, or recommendations in, or which are otherwise mentioned in, the essay set forth below:

NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA)

Updated on March 6th, 2025 by Nathan Parsh

The Dividend Aristocrats consist of companies that have raised their dividends for at least 25 years in a row. Over the decades, many of these companies have become huge multinational corporations, but not all of them.

You can see the full list of all 69 Dividend Aristocrats here.

We created a full list of all Dividend Aristocrats, along with important financial metrics like price-to-earnings ratios and dividend yields. You can download your copy of the Dividend Aristocrats list by clicking on the link below:

 

Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividend’s own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.

Dover Corporation (DOV) has raised its dividend for 69 consecutive years, one of the longest dividend growth streaks in the stock market.

The company has achieved such an exceptional dividend growth record thanks to its strong business model, resilience to recessions, and steady long-term growth.

There is room for continued dividend raises each year going forward, but on the other hand the stock appears to be overvalued right now.

Business Overview

Dover is a diversified global industrial manufacturer that offers its customers equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software, and digital solutions.

It has annual revenues of nearly $8 billion, with just over half of its revenues generated in the U.S., and operates in five segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy & Fueling, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions, and Climate & Sustainability Technologies.

On January 30th, 2025, Dover reported fourth-quarter and full-year results. Revenue grew 1% for the quarter to $1.93 billion, which was $20 million less than expected. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $2.20 compared unfavorably to $2.45 in the prior year, but this was $0.12 ahead of estimates. For the year, revenue improved 1% to $7.75 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $8.29 compared to $8.80 in 2023.

For the quarter, organic revenue declined 0.3% year-over-year, but bookings grew by 7%. Engineered Products had organic growth of 2% due to gains in vehicle aftermarket and fluid dispensing were offset by shipment timings in aerospace and defense.

Clean Energy & Fueling increased 8% due to higher shipments and new orders in clean energy. Volume improvements for aboveground retail fueling equipment also aided results.

Image & Identification was up 1% due to demand for core marking and coding printers, consumables, services, and aftermarket.

Revenue for Pumps and Process Solutions grew 3% due to higher demand for thermal connectors, precision components, and single-use biopharma components.

Climate & Sustainability Technologies was the company’s lone weak spot, as revenue fell 13%. U.S. CO2 systems reached a new record, but declines in European markets more than offset this strength. Bookings were up 16% for the quarter.

Overall, Dover enters 2025 with strong momentum in its business.

Source: Investor Presentation

Dover expects adjusted earnings-per-share in a range of $9.30 to $9.50 for 2025. At the midpoint, this would represent 13.4% growth from 2024. Organic revenue growth is  projected to be in a range of 3% to 5%.

Growth Prospects

Dover has pursued growth by expanding its customer base and through bolt-on acquisitions. To reshape its portfolio and maximize its long-term growth, Dover routinely executes a series of bolt-on acquisitions and occasional divestments.

The management team is constantly focused on delivering the most value to shareholders through portfolio transformation, which has generally been successful. The company’s prospects for 2025 also look strong in every aspect of its business.

Source: Investor Presentation

Today, the company is a highly diversified industrial company with an attractive growth profile. In addition, Dover is also likely to enhance its earnings per share via opportunistic share repurchases.

We see 8% long-term earnings-per-share growth in the years to come, driven primarily by revenue increases, with a boost from share repurchases reducing the float.

Competitive Advantages & Recession Performance

Dover is a manufacturer of industrial equipment. The company offers highly engineered products that are critical to its customers. Switching to another supplier is also uneconomic for its customers because the risk of lower performance is material.

Therefore, Dover essentially operates in niche markets, which offer the company a significant competitive advantage. This competitive advantage helps explain Dover’s consistent long-term growth trajectory.

On the other hand, Dover is vulnerable to recessions due to its reliance on industrial customers. In the Great Recession, its earnings per share were as follows:

• 2007 earnings-per-share of $3.22
• 2008 earnings-per-share of $3.67 (14% increase)
• 2009 earnings-per-share of $2.00 (45% decline)
• 2010 earnings-per-share of $3.48 (74% increase)

Dover got through the Great Recession with just one year of decline in its earnings per share, and the company almost fully recovered from the recession in 2010.

Given its sensitivity to economic cycles, it is impressive that Dover has grown its dividend for 69 consecutive years.

Another reason is management’s conservative dividend policy, which targets a payout ratio of around 30%. This policy provides a wide margin of safety during rough economic periods. The expected payout ratio for 2025 is just 22%.

Overall, Dover will undoubtedly continue to raise its dividend for many more years thanks to its low payout ratio, decent recessions resilience, and healthy balance sheet.

Valuation & Expected Returns

Dover is expected to generate earnings-per-share of $9.40 for 2025. That means the stock trades at 19.8 times this year’s earnings, which is higher than our estimate of fair value at 18 times earnings.

That implies a ~1.9% annual headwind to total returns from valuation compression over the next five years.

Including 8% expected annual earnings-per-share growth, the 1.1% current dividend yield, and a 1.9% annualized compression of the price-to-earnings ratio, we expect Dover to offer 6.9% average annual return over the next five years.

This puts Dover stock into the territory of a hold rating.

Final Thoughts

Dover has an impressive dividend growth record, with nearly seven decades of dividend raises. This is an impressive achievement, particularly given the company’s dependence on industrial customers, who tend to struggle during recessions.

Dover has consistently grown its earnings per share over the years, which has translated into annual dividend increases.

This strategy gives the company ample room to continue growing for many more years. The stock is slightly overpriced, meaning it earns a hold rating.

Additionally, the following Sure Dividend databases contain the most reliable dividend growers in our investment universe:

If you’re looking for stocks with unique dividend characteristics, consider the following Sure Dividend databases:

The major domestic stock market indices are another solid resource for finding investment ideas. Sure Dividend compiles the following stock market databases and updates them monthly:

Earnings drive stock performance … Luke Lango is bullish on earnings … but what about Walmart? … Louis Navellier sells an AI energy play … Grok-3 for the win

We can speculate about Trump tariffs… inflation… interest rates… geopolitical risk… or any other market influence on your mind…

But at the end of the day, whether your stocks go up or down depends on one thing:

Earnings.

In the long run, the strength (or weakness) of earnings drives stock performance.

To illustrate this, below is a chart spanning from 1945 to Q3 of last year. It compares the S&P’s price to its trailing 12-month operating earnings.

Notice two things…

First, over the long-term, these two lines have an amazingly strong correlation. This underscores our point: In the long-run, earnings drive stock prices.

Second, notice how the S&P’s earnings line (in blue) is smoother than the S&P’s price line (in green). And though price bounces around, it always eventually returns to its earnings line, a bit like a magnet.

Price can deviate from earnings for stretches due to investor euphoria or despondency, but it always reverts to earnings…eventually

This is what’s behind much of Luke Lango’s current bullishness.

For newer Digest readers, Luke is our technology/hypergrowth expert, and the analyst behind Innovation Investor.

From Luke:

Over the past few weeks, companies across America have been reporting fourth-quarter earnings results. So far, those numbers have been very strong. 

About 80% of companies in the S&P 500 have reported earnings so far this season. More than 75% have beaten Wall Street’s profit estimates, meaning they made more money last quarter than analysts expected. 

Meanwhile, the blended earnings growth rate is nearly 17%, which marks the index’s highest profit growth rate since 2021.

More importantly, trends are expected to stay strong for the foreseeable future. 

That is, next quarter, earnings are projected to rise about 8%, then another 9% in Q2. They are expected to rise almost 15% in the third quarter and about 13% in the fourth.

Bearish pushback

A bear’s first rebuttal might be, “Well, what about Walmart this morning?”

If you missed it, shares of the retail giant sunk after the company’s forward guidance disappointed Wall Street. As I write, the stock is on pace for its worst day in nearly three years.

(Full disclosure: I own Walmart.)

Let’s be clear about what happened…

Walmart’s numbers were strong. The company beat on both profits and revenues and hiked its dividend by 13%. So, earnings are, in fact, healthy…which is partially why Walmart set an all-time high earlier this month.

The possibility of reduced earnings/revenues in the future is what sunk the stock this morning. But the reduced guidance feels more like “lowering the bar given economic uncertainty” rather than “waving a red flag.”

From CNBC:

Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey described consumer spending patterns as “steady” and said, “there’s not any sharp changes that we’ve seen.”

Yet he acknowledged “there’s far from certainty in the geopolitical landscape.”

Plus, we should remember that one company’s forward guidance doesn’t represent the entire earnings landscape. Even if Walmart’s earnings slow, that doesn’t mean that another company won’t see explosive earnings growth.

Now, a second rebuttal could be, “But the earnings growth Luke references merely ‘catches earnings up’ to elevated prices that had already surged way ahead, stretching valuations.”

Even if we accept that as true, a closing of the gap between earnings and price takes pressure off those stretched valuations. And that gives stock prices room to push even higher, returning to yesterday’s stretched valuation before today’s earnings growth.

Either way, robust earnings are supportive of conditions that push stock prices higher.

This broad snapshot of earnings growth is bullish, but the earnings for each of your stocks is more important

And this is where legendary investor Louis Navellier just showed us why professional investors tend to outperform average investors.

On Tuesday, Louis recommended his Growth Investor subscribers sell Eaton Corporation plc (ETN) for a loss.

It wasn’t a big loss – only about 2% after you include dividends. But Louis was willing to take the loss because ETN no longer met his strict criteria for a strong stock.

For newer Digest readers, Louis is one of the early pioneers of using quantitative algorithms to scour the markets for strong stocks. Forbes even named him the “King of Quants.”

As a quantitative investor, Louis’ market approach is rooted in cold, impartial numbers. When his algorithms identify an attractive opportunity, he dives in, deciding whether it’s attractive enough to recommend.

Similarly, when his systems warn him of flagging fundamental weakness, he analyzes whether it’s time to get out to sidestep a potential pullback.

“Get out” was the takeaway for ETN.

From Louis’ Sell Alert:

Earlier this month, Eaton Corporation plc (ETN) slipped to a D-rating in Stock Grader despite reporting record results for its fourth quarter in fiscal year 2024…

ETN shares pulled back in the wake of the quarterly and yearly results since the company missed analysts’ sales estimates…

Add in the fact that analysts have lowered earnings estimates for the first quarter in the past month and buying pressure remains minimal (as evidenced by its D Quantitative grade), and I recommend that we go ahead and sell our position into today’s strength.

Why many investors would have a hard time making the same choice

Eaton is a great company that’s well-positioned to ride the AI-related data center boom. It provides power distribution and backup solutions, ensuring reliable energy flow to AI-driven data centers. But it’s also a player in energy transition, making it a strong long-term leader in power management.

Many investors would make this their single focus. Instead, Louis follows his system and the numbers, prioritizing “proven strength now” over “potential strength later.”

His “sell” decision represents a market approach that many of the most successful traders follow: Trade the market that’s in front of you, not the market that you hope will be in front of you.

I will note that Louis is still focusing on AI’s power needs and the resulting investment opportunities…

The next wave of AI will require unprecedented computing power. And there’s one company in Louis’ crosshairs that’s developing the crucial hardware that could power these advances. Its solutions could dramatically reduce power consumption while increasing processing power. Louis will give you more details on it right here.

Finally, the latest AI bots are arriving, and their capabilities point toward a continuation of today’s AI bull

Earlier this week, Elon Musk’s xAI released its updated Grok-3 chatbot.

Here’s Bloomberg with how advanced it is:

Across math, science and coding benchmarks, Grok-3 beats OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Alphabet Inc.’s Google Gemini, DeepSeek’s V3 model and Anthropic’s Claude, xAI said via a live stream on Monday.

Grok-3 has “more than 10 times” the compute power of its predecessor and completed pre-training in early January, Musk said in a presentation alongside three xAI engineers.

But Grok-3’s computing power leadership could be short-lived. Let’s jump to our technology expert Luke Lango:

Meanwhile, the world’s leading AI company – OpenAI – just announced that it will soon unveil its latest-and-greatest model, ChatGPT-4.5, within the next few weeks.

Reportedly, ChatGPT-4.5 is designed to process and remember more information, leading to more fluid and coherent conversations – an improvement particularly beneficial for multi-step processes.

It also aims to engage in more natural and dynamic interactions, making it a powerful tool for customer service, virtual assistance, and other dialogue-based applications.

Luke goes on to report that ChatGPT-4.5 will integrate with OpenAI’s newest Operator feature. This is an AI agent designed to autonomously perform web-based tasks by interacting with on-screen elements – think buttons, menus, and text fields.

What Grok-3 and ChatGPT-4.5 mean for the AI stock boom

After profiling the capabilities of Grok-3 and ChatGPT-4.5, Luke pivots to a critical point for investors…

These cutting-edge chatbots are paving the way for the emergence of hundreds of new AI applications over the next few months.

These new AI apps should proliferate throughout the global economy by late 2025…resulting in more sales and profits for their developers, more spending on the AI data centers that power them (so, greater profits for data center plays), and more demand for the surrounding infrastructure that enables the computing power (more profits for related components plays).

And this brings us full circle to how we opened this Digest:

At the end of the day, there’s one thing that will make or break your portfolio:

Earnings.

Despite some market overhangs today, earnings forecasts are up as we look ahead to the rest of 2025.

That doesn’t give us a license to just “stay in the market” without thoroughly analyzing our current stocks. We still must do the hard work of separating the fundamentally superior stocks from all else – same as Louis did with Eaton.

But if you own a great company that’s posting robust earnings growth, that’s a strong indicator of a higher stock price ahead.

Here’s Luke to take us out:

As go earnings, so go stocks.

With more fantastic earnings growth on the horizon, stocks are likely on the launching pad to fresh highs. And for those investors who get in early, before those gains continue, the profits could stack up fast.

That’s why we think this is a great time to be buying stocks.

Have a good evening,

Jeff Remsburg