141 years of dividends make Stanley a buy

Article Excerpt

STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $152 (New York symbol SWK; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 154.1 million; Market cap: $23.4 billion; Dividend yield: 1.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.stanleyblackanddecker.com) started up in 1843 and is now one of the world’s largest makers of hand and power tools for consumers. In addition to Stanley and Black & Decker, its top-selling brands include DeWalt, Craftsman and Irwin. Five decades of rising dividends Stanley last raised its quarterly dividend in September 2017. Investors now receive $0.63 a share, up 6.1% from $0.58. The new annual rate of $2.52 yields 1.7%. The company has paid dividends continuously for 141 years, and has raised the annual rate each year for the past 50 years. Tools and storage products accounted for 70% of Stanley’s 2017 sales and 72% of its profits, followed by Industrial products (15% of sales, 17% of profit) and building security systems (15%, 11%). The company’s overall sales rose 4.1%, from $10.9 billion in 2013…