Best Dividend Companies To Watch In Right Now

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) has close to $50 billion in cash and cash equivalents. As this hoard continues to accumulate, many shareholders are impatient for a dividend. Will Google authorize a dividend? Who knows? But one thing is certain: Google has both the cash and the cash flow to make it happen.�

Tech and dividends
Tech and growth were once interchangeable terms. Tech stocks needed every dollar they generated to reinvest into the business. But those days are over. Dividends in the tech sector seem to be the new norm. In 2009, Oracle initiated a dividend, followed by Cisco Systems in 2011 and Dell in 2012. Finally, even Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) joined the Tech Dividend Stocks Club in 2012.

Why are many tech stocks paying out dividends today? It's simple: As their growth trajectories slow, these companies are still raking in loads of cash -- Google included. Just look at the percentage of sales these tech companies are converting to free cash flow:

Best Dividend Companies To Watch In Right Now: Cummins Inc.(CMI)

Cummins Inc. designs, manufactures, distributes, and services diesel and natural gas engines, electric power generation systems, and engine-related component products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Engine, Power Generation, Components, and Distribution. The Engine segment offers a range of diesel and natural gas powered engines under the Cummins and other customer brand names for the heavy-and medium-duty truck, bus, recreational vehicle, light-duty automotive, agricultural, construction, mining, marine, oil and gas, rail, and governmental equipment markets. This segment also provides new parts and service, as well as remanufactured parts and engines. The Power Generation segment offers power generation systems, components, and services, including diesel, natural gas, gasoline, and alternative-fuel electrical generator sets for use in recreational vehicles, commercial vehicles, recreational marine applications, and home stand-by or residential applications. This segment also provides components that make up power generation systems, such as engines, controls, alternators, transfer switches, and switchgears. The Components segment supplies filtration products, turbochargers, aftertreatment systems, intake and exhaust systems, and fuel systems for commercial diesel applications. This segment offers filtration and exhaust systems for on-and off-highway heavy-duty and mid-range equipment, as well as supplies filtration products for industrial and passenger car applications. This segment also develops after treatment and exhaust systems to help customers meet emissions standards and fuel systems. The Distribution segment provides parts and services, as well as service solutions, including maintenance contracts, engineering services, and integrated products. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and other customers. Cummins Inc. was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Columbus, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew Scott]

  While trucking manufacturing Cummins (NYSE: CMI) is hardly a sexy stock, fleets of environmentally friendly trucks will be essential for many world economies to remain competitive as they slowly make their way out of the last recession. The price of Cummins’ stock has increased more than five and a half times in two years, jumping from $19.09 on March 9, 2009 to $109.62 at the end of the first quarter this year. As world economies begin to improve, transportation companies will begin replacing trucks so that they can move higher volumes of products more efficiently, and Cummins will benefit.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch In Right Now: British/Swiss Franc(UN)

UNILEVER N.V. operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. It offers personal care products, including skin care and hair care products, deodorants, and oral care products under the brand names of Axe, Brylcreem, Dove, Fissan, Lifebuoy, Lux, Pond's, Radox, Rexona, Signal & Close Up, Simple, St Ives, Sunsilk, TRESemm� Vaseline, and VO5. The company also provides home care products comprising laundry tablets, powders and liquids, soap bars, and various cleaning products under the Cif, Comfort, Domestos, Omo, Radiant, Sunlight, and Surf brand names. In addition, it offers food products consisting of soups, bouillons, sauces, snacks, mayonnaise, salad dressings, margarines and spreads, as well as cooking products, such as liquid margarines. The company markets its food products under the brand names of Becel/Flora, Bertolli, Blue Band, Rama, Hellmann?s, Amora, and Knorr. Further, it provides refreshment products, which include ice cream, tea-based beverages, weight-management products, and nutritionally enhanced staples under the brand names of Heartbrand, Lipton, and Slim?Fast. UNILEVER N.V. sells its products through its own sales force, as well as through independent brokers, agents, and distributors to chain, wholesale, co-operative and independent grocery accounts, food service distributors, and institutions. The company, formerly known as Naamlooze Vennootschap Margarine Unie, was founded in 1927 and is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Unilever N.V. is a subsidiary of The Unilever Group.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lowell]

  Unilever N.V. is a supplier of fast moving consumer goods. Cramer holds 700 shares of UN stocks. UN has a dividend yield of 4.89% and returned 1.72% since the beginning of this year. It has a market cap of $86.05B and a P/E ratio of 14.56. Ken Fisher had over $500 million invested in UN shares.

Top Stocks To Own For 2014: Telular Corporation(WRLS)

Telular Corporation designs, develops, and distributes products and services that utilize wireless networks to provide data and voice connectivity among people and machines primarily in the United States and internationally. It provides machine-to-machine and event monitoring services, including Telguard that comprises a specialized terminal unit, which interfaces with commercial security control panels and communicates with event processing servers to provide real-time transport of alarm signals from residential and commercial locations to an alarm company?s central monitoring station; and TankLink solution that combines a cellular communicator, wireless data services, and a Web-based application into a single offering, which allows end-users to monitor the product level in a given tank vessel. The company also offers fixed cellular terminals for voice, fax, and Internet access over the wireless networks. It sells its products to security equipment distributors, cellular carriers, and value added resellers. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Arohan]

  Telular provides wireless connectivity solutions to home alarm and industrial segments for monitoring, security and data applications. The $89 million market value company currently can be bought at 2.42 PE ratio and offers a 6.8% dividend yield. The company reported a revenue growth of 16.6% in the latest quarter and is expected to grow earnings 16.7% this year and 43% the next. The company does not have analyst following so a deeper due diligence is advised.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch In Right Now: PetroChina Company Limited(PTR)

PetroChina Company Limited produces and distributes oil and gas in the People?s Republic of China. It operates in four segments: Exploration and Production, Refining and Chemicals, Marketing, and Natural Gas and Pipeline. The Exploration and Production segment explores, develops, produces, and markets crude oil and natural gas, oilsands, and coalbed methane. As of December 31, 2010, it had 11,278 million barrels of proved reserves of crude oil; and 65,503 billion cubic feet of proved reserves of natural gas. The Refining and Chemicals segment engages in the refining of crude oil and petroleum products; and production and marketing of petrochemical products, derivative petrochemical products, and other chemical products. This segment?s product line comprises processed crude oil, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, ethylene, synthetic resins, synthetic fiber materials, polymers, synthetic rubber, and urea. The Marketing segment involves in the marketing of refined products and tradi ng businesses. It operated 17,996 service stations. The Natural Gas and Pipeline segment engages in the transmission of natural gas, crude oil, and refined products; and the sale of natural gas. It had a total length of 56,840 kilometers (km) of oil and gas pipelines, including 32,801 km of natural gas pipelines, 14,782 km of crude oil pipelines, and 9,257 km of refined product pipelines. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. PetroChina Company Limited is a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Smith]  

  With a market capitalization of $260 billion, PetroChina is at the top of our list. The company has a regular dividend policy and last year's dividend yield was 3%. Its global competitors, such Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), British Petrolum (BP), Chevron Corporation (CVX) and Exxon Mobil (XOM), are competing fiercely. Meanwhile, PetroChina has an almost monopolistic position in China. In the last 10 years, the stock price increased 10-fold, from $15 in 2001 to $150 in 2010. That's a 1000% return within the last 10 years excluding dividends.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch In Right Now: ConAgra Foods Inc.(CAG)

ConAgra Foods, Inc. operates as a food company primarily in North America. It operates in two segments, Consumer Foods and Commercial Foods. The Consumer Foods segment provides branded, private label, and customized food products, which are sold in various retail and foodservice channels. It offers products in various categories, such as meals, entrees, condiments, sides, snacks, and desserts in frozen, refrigerated, and shelf-stable temperature classes. This segment?s principal brands include Alexia, ACT II, Banquet, Blue Bonnet, Chef Boyardee, DAVID, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt?s, Marie Callender?s, Orville Redenbacher?s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack, Swiss Miss, Van Camp?s, and Wesson. The Commercial Foods segment provides commercially branded foods and ingredients that are sold to foodservice, food manufacturing, and industrial customers. Its primary products consist of specialty potato products, milled grain ingredients, a ran ge of vegetable products, seasonings, blends, and flavors. This segment sells products under brands, such as ConAgra Mills, Lamb Weston, and Spicetec Flavors & Seasonings. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonson]

  Paul T Maass, who is President, Commercial at ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE:CAG), sold 4,781 shares on Sep 26 at $23.90 per share for a total value of $114,242. About the company: ConAgra Foods, Inc. manufactures and markets packaged foods for retail consumers, restaurants and institutions. The Company offers a wide range of food products, including meals, entrees, condiments, sides, snacks, specialty potato products, milled grain ingredients, dehydrated vegetables and seasonings, and blends and flavors.

• [By Jonson]

  Kenneth E Stinson, who is s Director at ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE:CAG), sold 8,316 shares on Sep 26 at $23.81 per share for a total value of $198,013. About the company: ConAgra Foods, Inc. manufactures and markets packaged foods for retail consumers, restaurants and institutions. The Company offers a wide range of food products, including meals, entrees, condiments, sides, snacks, specialty potato products, milled grain ingredients, dehydrated vegetables and seasonings, and blends and flavors.

• [By Carlson]

  ConAgra (CAG) withdrew its $94-per-share offer for Ralcorp (RAH) after the Ralcorp board rejected its most recent proposal, the company said in a statement released 2 minutes after Ralcorp’s deadline to enter into discussions had passed.

  ConAgra has said in recent days that it has heard from Ralcorp shareholders who wanted the company to consider selling to ConAgra. Clearly the pressure now is on Ralcorp. If the company can’t find a way to boost its value to its shareholders through a spin-off of its Post brands, which includes Grape Nuts, the $94-per-share offer will look like a big missed opportunity.

Best Dividend Companies To Watch In Right Now: Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited(NZT)

Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services, as well as information, communication, and technology services in New Zealand and Australia. Its products and services include local, national, international, and value-added telephone services; mobile services; data, broadband, and Internet services; IT consulting, implementation, and procurement services; and equipment sales and installation services. The company also involves in the retail of telecommunications products and services. It serves residential, business, and government customers. Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited was founded in 1987 and is based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Carlson]

  Trading for just seven times earnings and yielding a 10% dividend, it's also nice to know that it's a monopoly in New Zealand. And, on top of that, with gold prices soaring, it's worth noting that the currency most closely correlated with gold is the New Zealand currency (affectionately known as the Kiwi dollar), making the company a nice backdoor play on gold.