AurealOne and DexBoss operate as two transformative blockchain platforms in the cryptocurrency market which serve different sectors between gaming and decentralized finance (DeFi). Curious as to where to start from? Potential investors can take advantage of Crypto Pre-sale chances that both projects offer before they make their official market debut. But, what are crypto pre-sales?
Crypto Pre-sales allow the investors to purchase the tokens at discounted rates and before they become available to the rest. That gives early adopters a perfect chance to invest early, in what could actually be the next big cryptocurrency.
Currently, the trending projects among those are AurealOne and DexBoss. They already look promising with the initiative of changing the gaming and decentralized finance (DeFi) spaces.
AurealOne: Revolutionizing Gaming and the Metaverse
AurealOne presents itself as an innovative blockchain solution built specifically for gaming and metaverse industries to deliver high-performance transactions at low operational prices.
Notable Features
The platform accomplishes fast transaction speeds through its Zero-Knowledge Rollups system because this technology optimizes gaming reaction times.
The DLUME native token enables users to both claim governance benefits through rewards systems and exercise token-staking capabilities to receive benefits through rewards and guide decision making.
The presale consists of 21 successive rounds starting from $0.0005 that progressively increases to $0.0045 until it reaches the $50 million fundraise target.
Launch of First Game: The inaugural game, Clash of Tiles, serves as a practical demonstration of AurealOne’s capabilities.
User engagement on the platform remains increased because the website offers immediate access to check coin balances which provides security to users.
Tokenomics Overview
Total supply will be distributed to allow wider token distribution together with extended stake incentives.
The distribution method for the presale features initial round allocations of 1 billion tokens throughout the first 20 rounds followed by the final distribution of 500 million tokens to drive early purchases.
DexBoss: Bridging Traditional Finance and DeFi
DexBoss operates as a DeFi platform which establishes links between conventional banking systems and blockchain technology to provide users basic accessibility in decentralized finance interfaces.
Key Features
Offers Intuitive User Interface: With an aim of simplifying the intricacies of DeFi, the platform is designed, keeping novice traders and experienced alike in mind.
DexBoss solves liquidity challenges by providing deep liquidity pools and advanced financial products, for example, liquidity farming, margin trading.
Quick Execution: Crypto market is fast moving, so quick order execution is a must for the platform.
$DEBO Token Lifecycle: The $DEBO is the native token and it has a total supply of 1 billion tokens, and there will be a presale, divided into 17 rounds, the beginning price being $0.01 and rising to $0.0505.
Browse Community Engagement: The token will always be re-distributed through a buyback and burn mechanism to better the token and increase community interest in it.
Tokenomics Breakdown
– Allotment Strategy: 50 percent of complete supply is assigned for presale. Along with that, desired portions are allocated to the team which increases liquidity.
– Buyback Allocation: A portion of transaction fees is meant for the buybacks and are beneficial for long term token holders.
Future Prospects and Community Focus
Both AurealOne and DexBoss are strategically located in a place to capitalize upon big developments in the cryptocurrency market, community steering and in particular the experience model.
AurealOne’s Expansion Plans: The plan is to expand the platform by incorporating more gaming projects to form a complete ecosystem in the metaverse.
DexBoss Roadmap: The forecast of addition of the advanced trading features and token launches based on 2025 gives way to the influx of new users and the solidification of DexBoss’s position in the DeFi space.
To Conclude
AurealOne and DexBoss represent the axis of creativity and innovation in the cryptocurrency market respectively. The two projects are almost identical as the main principles of the platforms include technology development, community engagement, and efficiency. Hence, they are going to be one of the large players in the crypto industry. If you are an investor and you are looking for the best place for implementing a new cryptocurrency, these projects are the most suitable ones for the following two fields: in the gaming industry as well as in DeFi market, and in a long run, they may become indirectly competitive with pre-established crypto projects like XRP Ripple as well.
But, the cryptocurrency landscape is volatile and thus investors must conduct thorough research and stay updated on rising trends.
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.
Return on invested capital, or ROIC, is a valuable financial ratio that investors can add to their research process.
Understanding ROIC and using it to screen for high ROIC stocks is a good way to focus on the highest-quality businesses.
With this in mind, we ran a stock screen to focus on the highest ROIC stocks in the S&P 500.
You can download a free copy of the top 100 stocks with the highest ROIC (along with important financial metrics like dividend yields and price-to-earnings ratio) by clicking on the link below:
Using ROIC allows investors to filter out the highest-quality businesses that are effectively generating a return on capital.
This article will explain ROIC and its usefulness for investors. It will also list the top 10 highest ROIC stocks right now.
Table Of Contents
You can use the links below to instantly jump to an individual section of the article:
What Is ROIC?
Put simply, return on invested capital (ROIC) is a financial ratio that shows a company’s ability to allocate capital. The common formula to calculate ROIC is to divide a company’s after-tax net operating profit, by the sum of its debt and equity capital.
Once the ROIC is calculated, it is evaluated against a company’s weighted average cost of capital, commonly referred to as WACC.
If a company’s WACC is not immediately available, it can be calculated by taking a weighted average of the cost of a company’s debt and equity.
Cost of debt is calculated by averaging the yield to maturity for a company’s outstanding debt. This is fairly easy to find, as a publicly-traded company must report its debt obligations.
Cost of equity is typically calculated by using the capital asset pricing model, otherwise known as CAPM.
Once the WACC is calculated, it can be compared with the ROIC. Investors want to see a company’s ROIC exceed its WACC.
This indicates the underlying business is successfully investing its capital to generate a profitable return. In this way, the company is creating economic value.
Generally, stocks generating the highest ROIC are doing the best job of allocating their investors’ capital. With this in mind, the following section ranks the 10 stocks with the highest ROIC.
The Top 10 Highest ROIC Stocks
The following 10 stocks have the highest ROIC in the Sure Analysis Research Database. Stocks are listed by ROIC, from lowest to highest.
High ROIC Stock #10: Yum Brands Inc. (YUM)
Return on invested capital: 44.6%
Yum Brands owns the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Restaurants chains. It is present in more than 155 countries and has more than 59,000 restaurants, 60% of which are located abroad. KFC generates about half of the total revenue and operating profit of the company.
In early February, Yum Brands reported (2/6/25) results for Q4-2024. It grew its sales 8% over the prior year’s quarter thanks to 14% growth at Taco Bell, 6% growth at KFC and 3% growth at Pizza Hut. Store count grew 5%. Digital sales were over $9 billion and exceeded 50% of total sales.
Earnings-per-share grew 28%, from $1.26 to $1.61, and exceeded the analysts’ consensus by $0.01. Yum Brands keeps opening new stores at a fast pace. Management provided guidance for 8% growth of operating income in 2025. Accordingly, we expect earnings-per-share of $5.92 this year.
The strength of Yum’s brands and their appeal to consumers constitute a significant competitive advantage. Thanks to its established brands, the company enjoys reliable free cash flows.
As a result, the company is not likely to have issues servicing its debt. It is also worth noting that Yum Brands has proved markedly resilient during recessions, mostly thanks to its low-priced fast food offerings.
TJX Companies is a leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide. As of November 2, 2024, the company operated 5,057 stores in nine countries.
These include 1,331 T.J. Maxx (26% of total), 1,219 Marshalls (24%) and 941 HomeGoods (19%) in the United States. TJX also operates e-commerce sites. In a normal year, the company generates ~$50 billion in annual revenue and ~$4 billion in net profit.
On 2/26/25, TJX released its fiscal Q4 and full-year 2025 results for the period ending 2/1/25. For the quarter, net sales fell marginally by 0.4% year over year to $16.4 billion due partly from Q4 FY2025 having 13 weeks vs 14 weeks in FY2024.
Consolidated comparable store sales rose 5%, driven by an increase in customer transactions. It witnessed comparable store sales growth across all its divisions with the strongest of 10% at TJX Canada, followed by 7% at TJX International (Europe & Australia), 5% at HomeGoods (U.S.), and 4% at Marmaxx (U.S.).
Diluted earnings-per-share rose 0.8% to $1.23, helped by a 1.2% reduction in its share count. The company repurchased stock at an average price of $123.62 per share.
For fiscal 2025, net sales climbed 4.0% to $56.4 billion with consolidated comparable store sales rising 4%. Net income rose 8.7% to $4.9 billion, and diluted EPS rose 10.4% to $4.26. During this period, TJX used nearly $2.5 billion to buy back shares at an average price of ~$111.88 per share.
Management provided an initial outlook for FY 2026: comparable store sales increase of 2-3% and diluted EPS to be $4.34-4.43.
Altria is a tobacco stock that sells cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, e-cigarettes, and more under a variety of brands, including Marlboro, Skoal, and Copenhagen, among others.
This is a period of transition for Altria. The decline in the U.S. smoking rate continues. In response, Altria has invested heavily in new products that appeal to changing consumer preferences, as the smoke-free category continues to grow.
The company also has a 35% investment stake in e-cigarette maker JUUL, and a 45% stake in the Canadian cannabis producer Cronos Group (CRON).
Altria Group reported solid financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2024. For the fourth quarter, revenue of $5.1 billion beat analyst estimates by $50 million, and increased 1.6% year-over-year. Adjusted EPS of $1.29 beat by a penny.
For the full year, Altria generated adjusted diluted EPS growth of 3.4% and returned over $10.2 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.
For 2025, Altria expects adjusted diluted EPS in a range of $5.22 to $5.37. This represents an adjusted diluted EPS growth rate of 2% to 5% for 2025.
Starbucks began with a single store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971 and now has more than 39,000 stores worldwide. Nearly half of the stores are in the U.S. and nearly 20% of the stores are in China.
The company operates under the Starbucks brand, but also holds the Teavana, Evolution Fresh, and Ethos Water brands in its portfolio. The company generated $36 billion in annual revenue in fiscal 2024.
In late January, Starbucks reported (1/28/25) financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 (Starbucks’ fiscal year ends the Sunday closest to September 30th).
Comparable store sales declined -4% due to a -4% decline in North America and a -4% decline in international markets. Same-store sales in China fell -6%.
Adjusted earnings-per-share decreased -23%, from $0.90 in the prior year’s quarter to $0.69, but exceeded the analysts’ consensus by $0.02.
Looking further out, Starbucks has a strong growth trajectory available over the long-term thanks to a growing U.S. and International store count, where the company is still in the early innings of expansion, coupled with pricing power.
MasterCard is a world leader in electronic payments. The company partners with 25,000 financial institutions around the world to provide an electronic payment network. MasterCard has more than 3.1 billion credit and debit cards in use.
On January 30th, 2025, MasterCard announced fourth quarter and full year results for the period ending December 31st, 2024.
For the quarter, revenue improved 15.4% to $7.5 billion, which was $120 million above estimates. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $3.82 compared favorably to $3.18 in the prior year and was $0.13 more than expected.
For the year, revenue grew 12% to $28.2 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $14.60 compared to $12.26 in 2023.
On a local currency basis, gross dollar volumes for the quarter grew 12% worldwide to $2.56 trillion during the quarter, with the U.S. improving 9% and the rest of the world higher by 13%.
Cross border volumes remained strong, growing 20% from the prior year and 17% from Q3 2024.
Appledesigns, manufactures and sells products such asiPhones, iPads, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV.Apple alsohas a services business that sells music, apps, and subscriptions.
On January 30th, 2025, Apple reported financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 (Apple’s fiscal year ends the last Saturday in September).
Total sales grew 4% over the prior year’s quarter, to a new record of $124.3 billion, thanks to sustained growth in iPhone, iPad and Wearables across all regions.
Earnings-per-share grew 10%, from $2.18 to $2.40, and exceeded the analysts’ consensus by $0.05. Notably, Apple has missed the analysts’ estimates only once in the last 25 quarters.
Going forward, Apple’s earnings growth will be driven by several factors. One of these is the ongoing cycle of iPhone releases, which creates lumpy results. In the long run, Apple should be able to grow its iPhone sales, albeit in an irregular fashion.
Domino’s Pizza was founded in 1960. It is the largest pizza company in the world based on global retail sales. The company operates more than 21,000 stores in more than 90 countries.
It generates nearly half of its sales in the U.S. while 99% of its stores worldwide are owned by independent franchisees.
In late February, Domino’s reported (2/24/25) financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. Its U.S. same-store sales grew 0.4% and its international same-store sales rose 2.7% over the prior year’s quarter.
Earnings-per-share grew 9%, from $4.48 to $4.89, thanks to higher sales and lower selling costs. Earnings-per-share missed the analysts’ consensus by $0.01, for the first time after 8 consecutive quarters of wide earnings beats.
Domino’s still expects to grow its global retail sales and its operating income by 7% and 8% per year, respectively, until the end of 2028.
The pizza chain has ample room to keep growing for years. Its management sees potential for the addition of more than 10,000 new stores in its top 15 markets.
As the current store count in these countries is approximately 11,000, it is evident that there is still tremendous growth potential even without taking into account the growth potential in the other ~75 markets where the company is present.
McKesson Corporation traces its lineage to 1833 when its founders began to offer wholesale chemicals and pharmaceuticals in New York City.
In the 190 years since, McKesson has grown into a powerhouse in the pharmaceutical and medical distribution industry and today, generates more than $300 billion in annual revenue.
The company has generated strong growth in the past five years.
McKesson posted third quarter earnings on February 5th, 2025, and results were mixed. Adjusted earnings-per-share narrowly beat expectations by four cents, coming to $8.03.
Revenue was up 18% year-over-year to $95.3 billion, a record for McKesson. That was, however, $570 million short of expectations.
Specialty pharmaceutical revenue soared 45% year-over-year to $10.9 billion. This was helped greatly by the continued adoption of GLP-1 medications.
Medical-Surgical revenues fell 3% to $2.9 billion due to lower-than-expected illness season demand. Operating profit was up 4% to $294 million due to cost containment efforts.
Consolidated operating profit was up 16% to $1.5 billion. The company also noted it took an 80% ownership interest in PRISM Vision Holdings for $850 million for its ophthalmology and retina management services.
Otis Worldwide Corp. debuted as an independent, publicly traded company on April 3rd, 2020, after being spun off from United Technologies (previously UTX, now Raytheon Technologies, RTX).
Today Otis is the leading company for elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation, and service.
On January 29th, 2025, Otis reported financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. Sales and organic sales grew 1.5% and 2%, respectively, while adjusted earnings-per-share grew 7%, from $0.87 to $0.93, though they missed the analysts’ consensus by $0.03.
Otis has missed the analysts’ estimates twice after 17 consecutive quarters of having beaten estimates. Backlog grew 10%. This bodes well for the performance of Otis in the upcoming quarters.
Thanks to sustained business momentum, Otis provided positive guidance for 2025. It expects 2%-4% growth of organic sales and adjusted earnings-per-share of $4.00-$4.10.
At the mid-point, this guidance implies 6% growth over the prior year.
Cardinal Health is one of the “Big 3” drug distribution companies along with McKesson (MKC) and AmerisourceBergen (ABC). Cardinal Health serves over 24,000 United States pharmacies and more than 85% of the country’s hospitals.
Over 90% of the company’s revenue comes from the Pharma & Specialty areas.
With 36 years of dividend increases, the company is a member of the Dividend Aristocrats Index.
On January 30th, 2025, Cardinal Health announced results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 for the period ending December 31st, 2024. For the quarter, revenue decreased 3.7% to $55.3 billion, but this was $330 million above estimates.
On an adjusted basis, earnings of $468 million, or $1.93 per share, compared favorably to earnings of $464 million, or $1.89 per share, in the prior year. Adjusted EPS was $0.17 better than expected.
Collectively the three major pharmaceutical wholesalers have a competitive advantage in the industry. Competition is held at bay by the massive scale already in place and the exceptionally low margins.
Cardinal Health has proven to be a solid operator in many ways – strong earnings for the past decade, a growing dividend and ample interest coverage.
There are many different ways for investors to value stocks. One popular valuation method is to calculate a company’s return on invested capital.
By doing so, investors can get a better gauge of companies that do the best job of investing their capital.
ROIC is by no means the only metric that investors should use to buy stocks. There are many other worthwhile valuation methods that investors should consider.
That said, the top 10 ROIC stocks on this list have proven the ability to create economic value for shareholders.
Further Reading
If you are interested in finding high-quality dividend growth stocks suitable for long-term investment, the following Sure Dividend databases will be useful:
Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].
Market turmoil persists, but strategic investments in resilient companies offer opportunities.
Tom Yeung here with today’s Smart Money.
Americans have definitely felt “a little disturbance” from the ongoing trade wars this week, just like the President Trump said we would.
On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 1,000 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 saw a $1 trillion wipeout – its largest one-day selloff so far this year.
This week’s selloff follows last week’s, ignited by the tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China… which followed another selloff in early February when Trump first announced his plan to impose the tariffs.
This leads to the question…
Can we trust Donald Trump to manage the U.S. economy?
Most people’s answers will depend entirely on who they voted for in the 2024 election. To his fans, Trump can do no wrong. He maintains a 93% approval rating among Republican voters (a figure that has only gone up since his inauguration).
To his detractors, Trump is a catastrophe. His approval rating among Democrats sits at just 4%.
But the truth is a bit more nuanced.
So, in today’s Smart Money, we’ll take a look at what’s going on.
Then, I’ll share why we’re still bullish on certain companies… and where you can find them.
Problems… and Solutions
Trump’s game of “tariff chicken” has most definitely depressed shares of companies. But America’s issues go beyond tariff news.
Here are three examples…
1. Tax cuts. Congress appears incapable of delivering the tax cuts Trump promised on the campaign trail. Markets had anticipated a corporate tax reduction to 15% from 21%, boosting after-tax earnings and raising company valuations. Now, even passing a stopgap bill to keep the government running is a challenge.
2. High valuations. The president inherited a stock market at near-frothy valuations. In November, the weighted S&P 500 index had an average forward price-to-earnings ratio of 26.6X – driven by elevated figures from tech companies. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) traded at 36X earnings… Netflix Inc. (NFLX) at 40X… and Tesla Inc. (TSLA) at 122X.
It’s one of the key reasons Eric sold shares in Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) and Amazon in his Fry’s Investment Report service late last year.
3. Sentiment. Many Americans simply don’t feel good for reasons beyond the president’s control. Egg prices rose because of avian flu (although they’re dropping so far in March)… mortgage rates remain stubbornly high… and pandemic-era savings are spent.
This creates a problem.
Once people start feeling negative about the economy, the cycle can become extremely difficult to stop. It’s one of the reasons why countries fall into recessions, and why this latest selloff has made us cautious about the U.S. stock market.
What Does This Mean for Your Portfolio?
We remain focused on companies resilient to tariffs.
As we talked about in lastThursday’sSmart Money, during Trump’s 2018 tariffs, firms like Salesforce Inc. (CRM), Intuit Inc. (INTU), and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) thrived, with gains of 20%, 50%, and 100%, respectively.
The same principle holds today. Trump’s 2025 tariffs may create headlines, but they won’t derail the industries driving long-term wealth creation.
It’s one of the reasons why Eric recently recommended a supplier of cutting-edge semiconductors to the paid-up members of his Fry’s Investment Report. This chipmaker is emerging as a dominant force in servers, and its robust growth trajectory will likely continue into 2025 and beyond.
All this to say, Eric expects this company to do well, regardless of whether America has a tariff on washing machines or not.
Eric will provide more detailed information about this firm in tomorrow’s March monthly issue of Fry’s Investment Report.
At Fry’s Investment Report, Eric will prepare you to survive – and thrive – in any market. In it, he looks for big-picture trends that drive huge, multiyear moves in entire sectors of the market. He is then able to extract and exploit the moneymaking opportunities a regular Wall Streeter would miss, showing his subscribers the right stocks… at the best prices.
As a member, you’ll get access to all of Eric’s latest recommendations, as well as his monthly issues and my weekly updates.
This CoinNews photo shows the obverse and reverse sides of 2024 Australian Swan 1oz Silver Bullion Coins
Australian bullion demand rebounded in February, according to data published March 11 by The Perth Mint of Australia, following January’s 10-month low for its gold products and 67-month low for its silver products.
The Mint’s sales occurred against a backdrop of divided precious metal prices. In February, LBMA prices (USD) saw gold rise 0.8%, while silver dropped 1.5%.
Perth Mint General Manager of Minted Products, Neil Vance, noted that the strong gold price continued to weigh on demand for minted products. However, he expressed satisfaction with the response to key February releases, including the Australian Kookaburra 2025 1 Kilo Silver Bullion Coin and gold and silver bars from the Lunar Year of the Snake collection.
“It is heartening to see the increase in sales on January levels given precious metals prices remain at record highs,” Vance commented.
Perth Mint Bullion Sales in February 2025
The Perth Mint’s gold sales climbed in February, with gold coins and bars totaling 25,103 ounces – up 35.3% from January’s low, the weakest monthly total since March 2024. However, sales were down 46.7% from February 2024.
Year-to-date gold sales reached 43,651 ounces, 39.2% lower than the 71,737 ounces sold in the same period last year.
Silver sales also improved, with February’s total at 482,451 ounces, a 16.3% increase from January’s low, the weakest since June 2019. Compared to February 2024, sales were down 52.1%.
So far this year, The Perth Mint’s silver sales stand at 897,426 ounces, a decline of 49.5% from the 1,776,178 ounces sold in the first two months of 2024.
Perth Mint Gold and Silver Sales by Month through February 2025
Below is a monthly summary of Perth Mint bullion sales from January 2022 to February 2025. The figures show monthly ounces of gold and silver shipped as minted products by The Perth Mint to wholesale and retail customers worldwide. It excludes sales of cast bars and other Group activities including sales of allocated/unallocated precious metal for storage by the Depository.
Perth Mint Bullion Sales (in troy ounces)
Silver
Gold
February 2025
482,451
25,103
January 2025
414,975
18,548
December 2024
1,057,311
31,727
November 2024
1,055,657
58,136
October 2024
539,898
29,935
September 2024
963,198
53,143
August 2024
647,382
25,884
July 2024
939,473
25,457
June 2024
491,946
22,520
May 2024
796,934
23,238
April 2024
684,735
33,387
March 2024
860,672
16,442
February 2024
1,006,852
47,086
January 2024
769,326
24,651
December 2023
681,490
36,297
November 2023
672,623
53,520
October 2023
1,073,553
42,302
September 2023
1,116,779
36,530
August 2023
792,503
34,875
July 2023
863,485
44,009
June 2023
1,326,011
73,124
May 2023
1,881,001
72,889
April 2023
1,947,743
75,166
March 2023
1,823,096
80,541
February 2023
1,484,936
52,241
January 2023
1,233,344
64,395
December 2022
1,634,751
60,634
November 2022
1,315,293
114,304
October 2022
1,995,350
183,102
September 2022
2,579,941
88,554
August 2022
1,655,334
84,976
July 2022
2,465,513
79,305
June 2022
1,523,765
65,281
May 2022
2,217,582
98,515
April 2022
2,119,491
80,941
March 2022
1,649,634
121,997
February 2022
1,632,323
72,651
January 2022
2,387,165
66,709
Bullion Coins Released in January 2025
In February, as reported by The Perth Mint, the following bullion coins were released:
Lunar Snake 1oz Silver Minted Bar in Pouch
Lunar Snake 1oz Silver Minted Bar in Tube
Lunar Snake 1oz Gold Minted Bar
Chinese Myths and Legends Four Guardians 2025 1oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Kookaburra 2025 1 Kilo Silver Bullion Coin
Australian Wedge-tailed Eagle 2025 1oz Silver Bullion Coin
In January, as reported by the Mint, the following bullion coins were released:
Lunar Dragon 1oz Silver Minted Bar in Tube
Lunar Dragon 1oz Silver Minted Bar in Pouch
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1oz Silver Bullion Coin with Dragon Privy
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1oz Gold Bullion Coin with Dragon Privy
In November, as reported by the Mint, the following bullion coins were released:
Australian Kangaroo 2025 1oz Silver Bullion Coin in Tube
Australian Kangaroo 2025 1oz Silver Individual Bullion Coin
Australian Kangaroo 2025 1 Kilo Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Kangaroo 2025 1oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Kangaroo 2025 1/2oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Kangaroo 2025 1/4oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Kangaroo 2025 1/10oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Kangaroo 2025 1oz Platinum Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2024 Year of the Dragon 10 Kilo Silver Bullion Coin
Australian Koala 2024 1/10oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Koala 2024 1/10oz Platinum Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1 Kilo Silver Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 5oz Silver Bullion Coin
In October, as reported by Mint, the following bullion coins were released:
Australian Wombat 2024 1oz Silver Bullion Coin
Super Pit 2024 1oz Silver Individual Bullion Coin
Super Pit 2024 1oz Silver Bullion Coins in Tube
Super Pit 2024 1oz Gold Bullion Coin
Super Pit 2024 5oz Gold Bullion Coin
Welcome Nugget 2024 1oz Gold Bullion Coin
Chinese Myths and Legends Four Guardians 2024 1oz Silver Bullion Coin
In September, as reported by the Mint, the following bullion coins were released:
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 2oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1/2oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1/10oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1/4oz Gold Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 2oz Silver Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1oz Silver Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1/2oz Silver Bullion Coin
Australian Lunar Series III 2025 Year of the Snake 1oz Platinum Bullion Coin
The S&P 500 dropped 1.4% on Thursday, March 13, 2025, falling into a correction for the first time since 2023 amid worries about the economy.
Adobe’s stock plummeted after its outlook came in lower than analysts expected.
Intel named a new CEO, and shares of the chipmaker surged.
Major U.S. equities indexes lost ground Thursday amid worries about the economy and political uncertainty.
The S&P 500 dropped 1.4%, falling into a correction for the first time since 2023. The Dow closed the session 1.3% lower, nearing a correction as well, while the Nasdaq dropped 2%.
Adobe (ADBE) shares suffered the heaviest loss of any stock in the S&P 500, plunging 14.4% after the maker of web design, photo, and video software provided an underwhelming outlook.
Shares of Ticketmaster parent Live Nation (LYV) fell 6.5%. The company remains the subject of an antitrust lawsuit filed last year by the U.S. Department of Justice, and federal officials accused the company earlier this week of failing to preserve text and chat messages relevant to the case.
Intel (INTC) surged 14.2%, logging the S&P 500’s top daily performance, after the chipmaker announced former board member Lip-Bu Tan will become its new CEO. The move followed reports that TSMC (TSM) approached other chip firms about forming a joint venture to run Intel’s foundry business.
Dollar General (DG) reported better-than-expected sales for the fourth quarter, helping drive gains for shares of discount retailers. However, the company said a review of its store portfolio weighed on profitability and expressed caution about consumers’ spending capacity. Dollar General shares gained 6.1%, while shares of rival Dollar Tree (DLTR) were up 5.8%.
The spot price of gold popped to an all-time high, bolstered by concerns about tariffs and anticipation of potential interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Investors often turn to the metal as a safe haven in times of market uncertainty. The soaring price provided a boost for mining stocks including Newmont (NEM), the world’s largest gold producer, with shares climbing 4.8% Thursday.
This indicator has had a 100% track record of predicting positive forward returns for 35 years
The stock market may be in freefall these days, but we are sensing a great buying opportunity in this chaos.
In fact, we just told our premium subscribers that this might be the best time to buy stocks all year… because per our analysis, the market is showing strong reason to be bullish right now.
That might sound a little crazy. After all, most current media headlines are negative. There’s a lot of fear about how tariffs could plunge the global economy into a recession. And they very well could…
But the market is starting to imply otherwise.
Just yesterday, for example, the S&P 500 flashed a very strong buy signal that, going back to 1990, has a 100% track record of predicting positive forward returns.
The Bullish Indicator Suggesting a Rally Ahead
On Monday, March 10, the S&P 500 dipped into oversold territory – with a relative strength index (RSI) below 30 – for the first time in over a year. Then, yesterday, March 12, its RSI rose back above 30 as the index popped back out of oversold territory.
In other words, the market was only oversold for two days. That’s technically significant.
Every time the market has fallen into oversold territory for the first time in over a year, then immediately rebounded (only spending one or two days oversold), stocks went on to rally over the next six and 12 months…
Every time.
This happened in July 1996, August 2004, October 2005, May 2010, October 2014, February 2018, and October 2023.
And each time, the bounce lasted.
Stocks were higher both six and 12 months later – every time. Average 12-month forward returns were over 20%.
In other words…
While the headlines surrounding the stock market may be negative right now, the technical evidence is decidedly bullish.
We think it is time to ignore the headlines and listen to the market.
History tells us that moments like this – of heightened volatility and widespread fear – are either fantastic buying opportunities or the start of massive crashes.
The technical data can tell us which outcome is more likely. And right now, the data is pointing toward a fantastic buying opportunity and huge rally ahead.
We think that, by the end of the year, this week could prove the best week of the year to buy stocks. It’s time to get bullish!
To help us find some of the best plays in this selloff, we’re turning our attention to the world’s richest man – Elon Musk – and his promising AI startup, xAI.
It has become clear that the so-called “First Buddy” to President Trump wields a lot of power and influence.
Naturally, we expect him to exert some of that influence to help his own companies, like Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX.
But in our view, Musk’s most promising company in 2025 is not Tesla or SpaceX. Rather, it is his AI startup, xAI.
Of course, xAI is barely two years old. It is still a private startup, which means you can’t invest directly via stocks.
But we’ve found a promising ‘backdoor’ way to take part in its imminent exponential growth.
If xAI does win the multi-trillion-dollar AI race… and Musk does it again… this stock could absolutely soar.
On the date of publication, Luke Lango did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.
P.S. You can stay up to speed with Luke’s latest market analysis by reading our Daily Notes! Check out the latest issue on your Innovation Investor or Early Stage Investor subscriber site.
Global Finance: Do you see a significant difference in how the second Trump administration approaches tariffs, compared to its first term, when you were Secretary of Commerce?
Wilbur Ross: The biggest difference is that we were charting uncharted waters in the first term. Namely, nobody really knew if [President Trump] had the statutory authority to put in steel tariffs, aluminum tariffs, refrigerator tariffs, or washing machine tariffs. So, we dredged up old legislation, some from 1976 and some from 1972, which were tested in court and upheld by and large.
The first thing was that it took a lot of time in the first administration to ensure we had the power to do some of the things he wanted. Now that that’s been established and he was happy with the results, the President is using tariffs much more broadly. He’s using them as a revenue measure, a diplomatic measure, and for all sorts of other purposes, such as trying to control fentanyl smuggling and controlling the border. That’s the first difference.
The second difference is that he has much more public support in general and with the Republican Party. The last time around, he was much more controversial at inauguration than this time. You saw that in the popular vote. But even more importantly, last time around, he had relatively little control over the Republican Party. There were a lot of free traders still in, particularly the Senate among the Republicans. Most of them have now retired. So that’s a big difference. And you’ve seen his ability to control the Congress in some of the notions he’s been able to force through this time, now by very skinny votes. Still, essentially this time the Republican Party in the Congress is pretty well unified behind the Trump agenda. They were not the first time.
And the last factor that’s different is back when he was in his first term, there was still the global perception that free trade was the big objective, and the business community still was very much of the view for more internationalization, more globalization of supply chains. Now, particularly because of COVID-19, there’s a rethinking of that. At this point, many business executives recognize that every time they add another country to their supply chain, they’re adding a point of vulnerability.
There was the beginning of a shift from globalization to localization, making factories closer to their consuming markets. That was coming even independently of Trump.
GF:Do you feel the administration has an overarching plan for tariff implementation, or is it being far more reactive to the situation? What did President Trump not get from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that he wants now?
Ross: Oh, well, that’s a very good question. To answer this, we need to look at the two parts of USMCA. As you know, Mexico has been a huge beneficiary of our moves against Chinese exports to the US. Because the peso has been struggling as a currency and Mexican wage rates haven’t increased much, they are quite competitive with China when you factor in shorter shipping distances, lower in-progress inventory costs, and reduced transportation expenses.
However, Mexico hasn’t really lived up to the free trade agreement we made with them. It has not liberalized its oil and gas sector as it was supposed to, and it hasn’t made its courts more impartial—an important component of the deal. Third, with the rise of electric vehicles and digital manufacturing moving to Mexico, we need to modify the rules of origin somewhat.
You’ll remember that under USMCA, 60%–70% of the content had to come from countries with a wage rate above $15 an hour. That rule was meant to ensure that the benefits of trade shifting to Mexico would be shared between Mexico and the U.S. Now that the types of products moving there have changed, we need to refine the rules of origin accordingly. So, those adjustments were needed anyway when it comes to Mexico.
What’s new is the fentanyl issue. Trump has been pressing Mexico on fentanyl and border security for a long time. But if you recall, during his first administration, he got Mexico to deploy 20,000 troops to the border by threatening tariffs. So that strategy isn’t new—he’s just actually implementing it this time.
In terms of Canada, things are a little different. Until now, he hadn’t needed to push Canada on fentanyl and border security. The Canadians made a big mistake in how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded. Trudeau’s initial reaction was, “Well, it isn’t that big a problem. It’s only a few kilos of fentanyl.”
Two kilos of fentanyl coming in from Canada can kill a lot of people. Second, we believe that as Mexico cracks down on cartels, those operations may shift to Canada. That’s why we want Canada to be prepared to address the issue.
Similarly, Trump had been pressing Canada on dairy products and softwood lumber since his first term. But for the first time, he’s decided to take a step further on softwood lumber by opening up the U.S. Forest Reserve. We have plenty of milling capacity for home building and other purposes, but the supply of stumpage (harvestable timber) has been somewhat limited. Now, that restriction is being lifted. That structural change led him to conclude that Canada’s share of softwood exports should be reduced. So, the factual situation has changed, and his response to it has evolved accordingly.
GF: What lessons did you learn from President Trump’s negotiation style when first negotiating the USMCA? To remove some of the tariffs, he’s asking for the end fentanyl smuggling, cessation of illegal immigration and Canada to become the 51st state. How much of this is negotiation and how much is trolling?
Ross: I met President Trump by representing his creditors in the Trump Taj Mahal. I was in a very adversarial position against him. His style is very aggressive and very strong in negotiations. You see that coming through in the trade. It wasn’t quite as aggressive last time, partly because he has done a lot of business, including some real estate development in foreign countries.
Last time, he was not an expert in the more intricate aspects of trade. He’s learned a lot from the interactions that we have had with other governments then and now.
His style of negotiating is one of pushing for things very, very hard and being willing to take punitive action if he doesn’t get what he wants. You saw that with Ukraine.
With Panama, he was able to create an environment where all of a sudden, Hutchison Whampoa, turned over control of not just the two key Panamanian ports, but many other ports that it was operating. He would never have thought through that level of detail in Trump 1.0. Now he knows more about potential targets. And every time he succeeds, like with the Panama Canal, which as you remember, didn’t get that much press because it was accomplished without much hooting and hollering. Hutchison made a very good commercial decision to sell those ports to a syndicate organized by BlackRock.
One way of responding to Trump’s new policies is asking, “Well, okay, here’s something that he wants. Maybe I can turn that to my immediate commercial advantage.” Given that Hutchison did pretty well with the port sale, that’s not a bad role model for other companies.
GF: You seem very optimistic overall regarding the new administration’s trajectory and its trade policy.
Ross: Well, I am, but with one big caveat: It has to be coupled with enactment of his tax and deregulation policies. Remember, if Congress doesn’t act, the tax cuts that he enacted in his first administration will automatically go away, which would amount to a tax increase on corporations. Coupled with the tariff policy, it would be a heavy burden. That’s why it’s important that this happens.
It’s also quite important to bring down the cost of government. I’m a big fan of what Elon Musk and Trump are doing, even though I’m sure they will go too far in some cases because they’ve been moving so quickly. In some cases, they’ll have to recalibrate their course, but it’s important that Trump’s overall policies are brought to bear. It would be much better for our economy if his whole package were to go through rather than just the trade package.
In the defense sector, one of his big objections to Europe, and to a degree Canada, is that they haven’t been paying their fair share of NATO. And that’s put an undue burden on the US.
That’s changing. Indeed, some Europeans are talking about going well beyond the 2% of GDP for defense that had been NATO’s target.
You have to look at the whole set of programs. Cutting down on the ability of able-bodied people to get big [government] benefits, in many cases getting more compensation than when they were working. That will go away and will be a constructive thing for our economy because we need a higher degree of workforce participation. To grow more rapidly, we need the workforce participation rate to rise above 63%.
GF: Do you have any other concerns?
Ross: Well, there’s always the danger when you’re trying to change a lot of things in a lot of geographies all at the same time. There’s always the danger of overextending and making real mistakes. He needs to move rapidly and on all fronts for a domestic political reason: Anything requiring congressional action that isn’t completed by September will be difficult to pass, because by then, everybody in Congress will be focusing on the midterms, and they’re going to be less inclined to do anything that’s controversial.
GF: Are there any issues in which you part company with the current administration?
Ross: There are areas where we do disagree. For example, as you’re probably aware, I wrote an editorial in The Wall Street Journal supporting the Nippon Steel takeover of U.S. Steel, which is directly antithetical to US government policy. So, while I’m broadly in sync with what they’re doing, there are some very specific parts where we naturally disagree—very much.
A collection of coins from around the globe assembled by a successful businessman from Singapore is headed to the world’s leading auctioneer of World and Ancient coins. The Peh Family Collection is so impressive, in both quantity and quality, that it is being offered in two of the largest and most important auctions on the numismatic calendar.
Kuang-hsü silver Restrike Pattern Tael CD 1906 MS66 PCGS
“This is an outstanding collection, one that reflects a discerning eye and deep historical understanding of significant coins from many parts of the world,” says Cris Bierrenbach, Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. “It is an honor to bring such an elite and thoughtfully curated numismatic assemblage to market.”
From 2004-2014, Peh collected extensively, poring over catalogs and journals and frequenting auctions in person, many in the United Kingdom. He not only pursued elite coins, he also kept them – he never parted with a single piece he collected at any time in his life.
Peh initially focused his collecting on coins of his homeland – Singapore, the Straits Settlements, Malaysia and North Borneo – until his desire for exceptional coins required him to expand his reach, into regional neighbor countries like Japan and China and eventually around the world, with treasures from far-ranging locales like Great Britain, Russia, Brazil and Netherlands East Indies.
Selections from the Peh Family Collection that will be offered at the HKINF World Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction include, but are not limited to:
Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/3124.
Top selections that will be in play at Heritage’s ANA World’s Fair of Money in August include, but are not limited to:
Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/3125.
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Munich, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,750,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of more than 6,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos.
DRIP stands for Dividend Reinvestment Plan. When an investor is enrolled in DRIP stocks, it means that incoming dividend payments are used to purchase more shares of the issuing company – automatically.
Many businesses offer DRIPs that require the investors to pay fees. Obviously, paying fees is a negative for investors. As a general rule, investors are better off avoiding DRIP stocks that charge fees.
Fortunately, many companies offer no-fee DRIP stocks. These allow investors to use their hard-earned dividends to build even larger positions in their favorite high-quality, dividend-paying companies – for free.
The Dividend Champions are a group of quality dividend stocks that have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years.
You can download your free copy of the Dividend Champions list, along with relevant financial metrics like price-to-earnings ratios, dividend yields, and payout ratios, by clicking on the link below:
Think about the powerful combination of DRIPs and Dividend Champions…
You are reinvesting dividends into a company that pays higher dividends every year. This means that every year you get more shares – and each share is paying you more dividend income than the previous year.
This makes a powerful (and cost-effective) compounding machine.
This article takes a look at the top 15 Dividend Champions that are no-fee DRIP stocks, ranked in order of expected total returns from lowest to highest.
The updated list for 2025 includes our top 15 Dividend Champions, ranked by expected returns according to the Sure Analysis Research Database, that offer no-fee DRIPs to shareholders.
You can skip to analysis of any individual Dividend Champion below:
Additionally, please see the video below for more coverage.
#15: Realty Income (O)
5-year expected annual returns: 9.0%
Realty Income is a retail real estate focused REIT that has become famous for its successful dividend growth history and monthly dividend payments.
Realty Income owns retail properties that are not part of a wider retail development (such as a mall), but instead are standalone properties.
This means that the properties are viable for many different tenants, including government services, healthcare services, and entertainment.
On February 25, 2025, Realty Income Corporation reported its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2024.
The company achieved a 1.8% increase in core funds from operations (FFO) for the year, alongside over $550 million in acquisition volume. The year concluded with a strong 98.5% occupancy rate.
These achievements reflect the dedication and expertise of Realty Income’s best-in-class team, positioning the company well for the near term.
Illinois Tool Works is a diversified multi-industrial manufacturer with seven unique operating segments: Automotive, Food Equipment, Test & Measurement, Welding, Polymers & Fluids, Construction Products and Specialty Products.
Last year the company generated $15.9 billion in revenue.
On February 5th, 2025, Illinois Tool Works reported fourth quarter 2024 results for the period ending December 31st, 2024. For the quarter, revenue came in at $3.9 billion, shrinking 1.3% year-over-year.
Sales declined 3.7% in the Automotive OEM segment, the largest out of the company’s seven segments. The Food Equipment and Test & Measurement and Electronics segments grew revenues by 2.7% and 2.2%, respectively.
A.O. Smith is a leading manufacturer of residential and commercial water heaters, boilers and water treatment products. It generates two-thirds of its sales in North America, and most of the rest in China.
A.O. Smith has raised its dividend for 30 years in a row, making the company a Dividend Aristocrat. The company was founded in 1874 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI.
A.O. Smith reported its fourth quarter earnings results on January 30. The company generated revenues of $912 million during the quarter, which represents a decline of 8% compared to the prior year’s quarter.
A.O. Smith’s revenues were down by 7% in North America, but the international business saw a wider decline, primarily due to lower sales in China, which has ongoing troubles in its real estate market.
A.O. Smith generated earnings-per-share of $0.85 during the fourth quarter, which was down 12% on a year over year basis. This was caused by lower revenues and lower margins, with buybacks not being able to fully offset these headwinds.
Universal Health Realty Income Trust operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in the healthcare sector. The trust owns healthcare and human service-related facilities.
Its property portfolio includes acute care hospitals, medical office buildings, rehabilitation hospitals, behavioral healthcare facilities, sub-acute care facilities and childcare centers. Universal Health’s portfolio consists of 69 properties in 20 states.
On October 24, 2024, UHT reported its third quarter results. Funds from Operations (FFO) saw a slight improvement, rising to $11.3 million, or $0.82 per diluted share, from $11.2 million, or $0.81 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2023. This increase in FFO was mainly due to the rise in net income during the period.
The company maintained a strong liquidity position with significant cash reserves and continued strategic investments to enhance its property portfolio.
Tompkins Financial is a regional financial services holding company headquartered in Ithaca, NY that can trace its roots back more than 180 years. It has total assets of about $8 billion, which produce about $300 million in annual revenue.
The company offers a wide range of services, including checking and deposit accounts, time deposits, loans, credit cards, insurance services, and wealth management to its customers in New York and Pennsylvania.
Tompkins also sports a 38-year dividend increase streak after boosting its payout for November 2024.
Tompkins posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on January 31st, 2025, and results were somewhat mixed.
Earnings-per-share came in 15 cents ahead of estimates at $1.37. Revenue was up more than 8% year-over-year to $77.1 million, but missed estimates by about 1%.
Net interest margin for the fourth quarter was 2.93%, up from 2.79% in the third quarter, and up from 2.82% a year ago.
Total average cost of funds was 1.88% for Q4, down 13 basis points from Q3 as funding mix and lower interest rates both contributed.
NW Natural was founded in 1859 and has grown from just a handful of customers to serving more than 760,000 today. The utility’s mission is to deliver natural gas to its customers in the Pacific Northwest.
The company’s locations served are shown in the image below.
On February 28, 2025, Northwest Natural Holding Company (NWN) reported its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2024.
The company achieved an adjusted net income of $90.6 million for the full year, or $2.33 per share, slightly down from $93.9 million, or $2.59 per share, in 2023.
This decrease was primarily due to regulatory lag affecting the first ten months of 2024 until new Oregon gas utility rates became effective on November 1.
Nucor is the largest publicly traded US-based steel corporation based on its market capitalization. The steel industry is notoriously cyclical, which makes Nucor’s streak of 52 consecutive years of dividend increases even more remarkable.
Nucor Corporation reported its fourth-quarter 2024 earnings on January 28, 2025, highlighting strong operational performance despite ongoing challenges in the steel industry.
The company posted net earnings of $287 million, or $1.22 per share, and $8.46 per share for the full year. EBITDA reached $751 million for the quarter and nearly $4.4 billion for the year.
Johnson & Johnson is a diversified health care company and a leader in the area of innovative medicines and medical devices Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 and employs nearly 132,000 people around the world.
On January 22nd, 2025, Johnson & Johnson announced fourth quarter and full year results for the period ending December 31st, 2024.
For the quarter, revenue grew 5.1% to $22.5 billion, which beat estimates by $50 million. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $2.04 compared to $2.29 in the prior year, but this was $0.02 above expectations.
For the year, revenue grew 4.3% to $88.8 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $9.98 was up slightly from the prior year. Results included adjustments related to the costs of acquisitions.
Polaris designs, engineers, and manufactures snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and motorcycles. In addition, related accessories and replacement parts are sold with these vehicles through dealers located throughout the U.S.
The company operates under 30+ brands including Polaris, Ranger, RZR, Sportsman, Indian Motorcycle, Slingshot and Transamerican Auto Parts. The global powersports maker, serving over 100 countries, generated $7.2 billion in sales in 2024.
On January 28th, 2025, Polaris announced fourth quarter and full year results. For the quarter, revenue declined 23.6% to $1.75 billion, but this was $70 million higher than excepted. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $0.92 compared very unfavorably to $1.98 in the prior year, but topped estimates by $0.02.
For the year, revenue fell 19.7% to $7.12 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $3.25 was down from $9.16 in 2023.
For the quarter, Marine sales declined 4%, On-Road was lower by 21%, and Off-Road, the largest component of the company, decreased 25%.
As with previous quarters, decreases in all three businesses were mostly due to lower volumes. Off-Road was also negatively impacted planned reductions in shipments. Parts, Garments, and Accessories were weaker in the Off-Road and On-Road segments.
New Jersey Resources provides natural gas and clean energy services, transportation, distribution, asset management and home services through its five main subsidiaries. The company owns both regulated and non-regulated operations.
NJR’s principal subsidiary, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), owns and operates natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure serving over half a million customers.
NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV) invests in and operates solar projects, to provide customers with low-carbon solutions.
NRJ Energy Services manages a portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets, as well as provides physical natural gas services to customers in North America.
The midstream subsidiary owns and invests in several large midstream gas projects.
Finally, the home services business provides heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators, and solar products to residential homes.
New Jersey Resources was founded in 1952 and has paid a quarterly dividend since. The company has increased its annual dividend for 28 consecutive years.
On November 25th, 2024, NJR sold its 91MW residential solar portfolio to Spruce Power Holdings Corporation (SPRU) for $132.5 million, which it will use to pay down debt and for working capital.
New Jersey Resources reported first quarter 2025 results on February 3rd, 2025, for the period ending December 31st, 2024. First quarter net income of $131.3 million compared favorably to the prior year quarter’s $89.4 million.
Consolidated net financial earnings (NFE) amounted to $128.9 million, compared to net financial earnings (NFE) of $72.4 million in Q1 2024 and NFE per share of $1.29 compared to $0.74 per share one year ago.
Emerson Electric is a diversified global leader in technology and engineering. Its global customer base and diverse product and service offerings afford it more than $17 billion in annual revenue.
Emerson posted first quarter earnings on February 5th, 2025, and results were mixed. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to $1.38, which was a dime ahead of estimates. Revenue was up 1.5% year-over-year to $4.18 billion, but missed estimates by $40 million.
Underlying sales rose 2%, and adjusted segment EBITDA margin was 28% of revenue, a 340-basis point improvement from the year-ago period. Gross profit reached a record level of 53.5% of revenue, supported by operational efficiencies, cost controls, and acquisition synergies.
Free cash flow was $694 million, up 89% year-over-year, with working capital improvements being the primary driver. Emerson’s backlog rose to $7.3 billion, excluding forex translation impacts.
Arrow Financial Corporation is a multi-bank holding company based in Glen Falls, New York. The company operates through two main subsidiary banks, the Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company, and the Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company.
Arrow Financial Corporation is also the parent company of North Country Investment Advisers and Update Agency, an insurance agency. The company is a small cap, and it produces about $163 million in annual revenue. Arrow Financial has increased its dividend for 28 consecutive years.
Arrow posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on January 30th, 2025, with earnings-per-share coming to 27 cents, and revenue at just over $31 million.
The company’s adjusted net income was $7.8 million, or 47 cents per share after removing non-recurring items. These were related to charges and expenses related to the repositioning of the securities portfolio, primarily.
Net interest margin came to 2.83%, which was up from 2.78% in the prior quarter. That’s still quite low based upon our universe of banks. Loan growth was 7% on an annualized basis, or $59 million, from Q3. Loan balances ended the year at $3.4 billion, which is a record for Arrow.
S&P Global is a worldwide provider of financial services and business information and revenue of over $13 billion.
Through its various segments, it provides credit ratings, benchmarks and indices, analytics, and other data to commodity market participants, capital markets, and automotive markets.
S&P Global has paid dividends continuously since 1937 and has increased its payout for 51 consecutive years.
S&P posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on February 11th, 2025, and results were much better than expected on both the top and bottom lines.
Adjusted earnings-per-share came to $3.77, which was a staggering 30 cents ahead of estimates. Earnings rose from $3.13 a year ago.
Revenue was up 14% year-over-year to $3.59 billion, beating estimates by $90 million. The company posted revenue growth in all of its operating segments, in addition to strong operating margin expansion.
Operating expenses rose slightly from $2.26 billion to $2.33 billion year-over-year. That led to operating profit of $1.68 billion, sharply higher from $1.39 billion a year ago.
Nordson was founded in 1954 in Amherst, Ohio by brothers Eric and Evan Nord, but the company can trace its roots back to 1909 with the U.S. Automatic Company.
Today the company has operations in over 35 countries and engineers, manufactures, and markets products used for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials, plastics, and other materials, with applications ranging from diapers and straws to cell phones and aerospace.
On December 11th, 2024, Nordson reported fourth quarter results for the period ending October 31st, 2024. For the quarter, the company reported sales of $744 million, 4% higher compared to $719 million in Q4 2023, which was driven by a positive acquisition impact, and offset by organic decrease of 3%.
Industrial Precision saw sales decrease by 3%, while the Medical and Fluid Solutions and Advanced Technology Solutions segments had sales increases of 19% and 5%, respectively.
The company generated adjusted earnings per share of $2.78, a 3% increase compared to the same prior year period.
Hormel Foods is a juggernaut in the food products industry with nearly $10 billion in annual revenue. It has a large portfolio of category-leading brands. Just a few of its top brands include include Skippy, SPAM, Applegate, Justin’s, and more than 30 others.
It has also pursued acquisitions to drive growth. For example, in 2021, Hormel acquired the Planters snack nuts business from Kraft-Heinz (KHC) for $3.35 billion, which has boosted Hormel’s growth.
Hormel posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on December 4th, 2024, and results were in line with expectations. The company posted adjusted earnings-per-share of 42 cents, which met estimates. Revenue was off 2% year-on-year to $3.14 billion, also hitting estimates.
Operating income was $308 million for the quarter on an adjusted basis, or 9.8% of revenue. Operating cash flow was $409 million for Q4. For the year, sales were $11.9 billion, and adjusted operating income was $1.1 billion, or 9.6% of revenue. Adjusted earnings-per-share was $1.58. Operating cash flow hit a record of $1.3 billion.
Guidance for 2025 was initiated at $11.9 billion to $12.2 billion in sales, with organic net sales growth of 1% to 3%.
Enrolling in DRIP stocks can be a great way to compound your portfolio income over time. Additional resources are listed below for investors interested in further research for DRIP stocks.
For dividend growth investors interested in DRIP stocks, the 15 companies mentioned in this article are a great place to start. Each business is very shareholder friendly, as evidenced by their long dividend histories and their willingness to offer investors no-fee DRIP stocks.
At Sure Dividend, we often advocate for investing in companies with a high probability of increasing their dividends each and every year.
If that strategy appeals to you, it may be useful to browse through the following databases of dividend growth stocks:
The Dividend Kings List is even more exclusive than the Dividend Aristocrats. It is comprised of 54 stocks with 50+ years of consecutive dividend increases.
The High Dividend Stocks List: stocks that appeal to investors interested in the highest yields of 5% or more.
For as long as I can remember, the words “How To” have triggered an irresistible impulse in me to spend money.
How to speak in public… how to be a good writer… how to make money in stocks… how to get rich in real estate… how to be physically fit… how to be a great cook… how to build a big vocabulary… etc.
Every year, people like me spend billions of dollars on “personal development” products. These products promise to teach us “how to” do or have things of value.
There are thousands of personal development books and courses for people with thousands of different goals.
Yet, I believe that when you boil it down, most of us in the “personal development” crowd buy those books, courses, and newsletters for one simple reason…
Because we want more personal power.
I’m not talking about the kind of power that dictators and politicians crave.
Not the kind of power to order people around all day.
I’m talking about positive power that gives you control over your own life… power to do what you want and have what you want… whether it be money, respect, love, sex, free time, acclaim, or freedom.
I’m talking about the power to impress and please people. I’m talking the kind of power that ensures you’ll never be at the mercy of a crazy boss, a crappy job, a creditor, or some bogus limitation placed on you by conventional thinkers.
I’m talking about the kind of power that allows you to shape the world around you.
Of course, laws, morals, and good manners ensure we can’t run amok and do whatever we want all the time. But there’s a general sense of freedom and power over one’s life that most reasonable people want.
We want to pick up and move to a new state if we want to.
We want to buy a car or a nice meal whenever we want to.
We want to be able to leave work on a Tuesday morning and hang out with our families or binge watch Game of Thrones if we want to.
We want the option to say, “Screw it” and walk away from a bad job or a bad business.
Working on my personal development has made me a success by conventional measures. I have a great family and great friends. I live in a big house in an expensive neighborhood (paid for with cash). I became a multi-millionaire in my 30s.
But I’ve also enjoyed a lot of “unconventional” success as well. It has meant far more to me than material things.
Since I got out of high school in 1995, I’ve done pretty much whatever the hell I’ve wanted to do.
I’ve quit three jobs simply because I wanted to do something else or take very long vacations. I’ve spent months motorcycling across America. I’ve traveled the world. I’ve taken the time to read hundreds of great books. I’ve written four books, mostly because I liked the subjects.
In other words, I’ve enjoyed a lot of power and freedom.
I’ll never be on the front page of Forbes magazine, but if living life on your own terms is a measure of success, then I’ve had a lot of success. No bank, no boss, no investor, no employee, no customer has ever made me do something I really didn’t want to do. I’ve always had the power to say “no” or “yes.”
If you’re interested in acquiring more power and freedom, I believe you’ll find that InvestorPlace can be incredible resource for you.
We publish research reports, daily e-letters, books, and educational materials, with a simple goal in mind: To provide you with ideas and tools that will help you acquire more wealth, more power, more knowledge, and more freedom…
To help you build your personal financial empire.
As you’ll quickly learn, we’re our firm doesn’t stick to “just” actionable investment research and recommendations.
What we do is vastly more important than that.
We’re also committed to helping investors acquire a unique state of mind… an enlightened view of wealth and investment. To that end, we’ve created a large amount of educational material that can help anyone become a smarter, richer investor… a builder of their own financial empire.
The way of the empire builder is rooted one critical idea:
If you want to be rich, spend your time acquiring assets. If you want to be poor, spend your time acquiring liabilities.
