Daredevil Dividends, ABM and Diebold
Kyle is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
“A man can stand almost anything except a succession of ordinary days.” – Johann von Goethe
In a desperate attempt to refrain from even thinking the words, “Europe,” “fiscal cliff,” “Congress,” “Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke,” or the dreaded, “QE3,” I am most assuredly guaranteeing myself nothing in the way of reads, hits, ratings, or anything in the way of lovers, haters or comments of any sort. I will continue to beat the drum for the everyday, monotonous individual investors, and drill high-yield dividend stocks into your psyche. Nobody is required to undertake any type of consideration, action, or even contempt of it, as the typical nonsense you find on my posts.
In true daredevil fashion, I will do my very best to bring to light stocks that quite possibly might be worthy of mention, no matter how brutally boring or mesmerizingly mundane they are. I am putting on my Evel Knievel outfit, including the cape, with the hopes that I don’t shatter my pelvis. And when this is all over, I will reach for my trusty cane which also serves as a refreshing flask because as Evel says, “Everything in moderation is okay. Except Wild Turkey.”
ABM Industries Incorporated, (NYSE: ABM), happens to be an unrelentingly uninteresting company. The clientele that they serve are exponentially much more exciting. ABM is one of those electrifying companies that tend to facility management solutions, be it janitorial, engineering and technical, parking lots and garages, even the trusty stalwart mall cops the kids joke about. I know, I know, load up, right? But I think ABM may have been a bit unfairly oversold of late, looking back to the beginning of 2012, starting the year at just under $21 per share. ABM offers loyal shareholders a respectable 3.2% dividend yield, paying 58-cents per share annually (14.5-cents quarterly).
The company has increased the dividend pretty consistently since 1965, well before the most recent exciting development in 1994, when they changed the name of the company (from American Building Maintenance Industries, Inc. – a real mouthful). I realize everything I have typed is about as exciting as a yawning contest at a Renaissance Festival, but sometimes solid is pretty boring, making it extremely easy to miss.
Another sleeper stock offering investors a decent dividend yield, is Diebold Incorporated (NYSE: DBD). Similar to its boring brother, Diebold has steadily increased their dividend since the Eisenhower years, currently paying an eerily similar 3.2% yield of $1.14 per share annually (28.5-cents quarterly). Diebold employs those trusty soldiers of ATM maintenance, making our lives consistently convenient so we can have access to cash whenever and wherever we desire. Headquartered in the buzzing metropolis of Canton, Ohio, they started the year around $30 per share, but are currently about $4 off their 2012 highs of over $40. The stock’s 52-week high, just under $43, certainly looks attainable, given that investors seem to be flocking to the comfort that dividend stocks provide.
I know these companies are anything but thrilling, but until everyone gets elected, bailed-out, and quantitatively eased, it’s a secure safe-haven from all the excitement.
kmet312 has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.If you have questions about this post or the Fool’s blog network, click here for information.
