Lower costs cut their risk

Article Excerpt

These two makers of tools and household products are aggressively cutting costs, which helps support their dividend payments. However, we prefer Stanley for your new buying. STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $93 is a buy. The company (New York symbol SWK; Conservative Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 153.8 million; Market cap: $14.3 billion; Dividend yield: 3.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.stanleyblackanddecker.com) is one of the world’s largest makers of hand and power tools. With the September 2023 payment, the company raised your quarterly dividend by 1.3%, to $0.81 a share from $0.80. The annual rate of $3.24 a share yields 3.5%. Stanley has now raised the dividend each year for the past 56 years. Under a multi-year turnaround plan, Stanley is closing factories and shrinking the number of products it makes. It expects these moves will cut $2.0 billion from its annual costs by the end of 2025. The company is also selling its Stanley Infrastructure business, which makes tools for industrial users,…