I think it’s the most boring business I’ve ever researched. That’s what you want if you’re looking for a stock to hold no matter what.
It pays dividends like clockwork. They’ve increased for 39 years straight — that goes back to when Nixon was in office. That even includes increases during the Great Recession. In the last ten years the quarterly dividend has risen 154%.
Earnings growth isn’t going to blow you away. This company isn’t going to invent the next iPod. The CEO isn’t going to be a rockstar in the business world. In other words, don’t expect a lot of flash from this company that was founded in 1872.
But expect plenty of substance.
Paper company Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) was the first company to put toilet tissue on a roll. It invented the “disposable handkerchief” — or what we know as the iconic Kleenex. And it was the first paper company to advertise its brands on national television. Today it’s the company behind Huggies, Kotex, and Depends.
Like I said, boring stuff. But that’s the sort of company that does well over time, especially if things get rocky.
Right now we’re seeing $100-plus oil, worries about the Middle East, concerns about an overheated market, and the continuous angst about government deficits. That’s a lot of worry. You might sleep better owning KMB.
You see, not only is it one of the most steady dividend payers around, but the shares hold up well in down markets. Take a look at the stock versus the S&P 500 in the recent bear market…
Right now the shares are yielding about 4.5%. Normally I don’t get too excited over that sort of yield. But this isn’t an ordinary investment.
You don’t buy this stock with the plan to sell it after a month, six months, or even a year. It’s the sort of holding you want to buy and forget about, no matter the market. Just let it pay you quarter after quarter.
And while nothing in investing is ever guaranteed, over time those dividends are likely increase, just like they have for the past four decades. At the very least, they’ll add up handsomely.
Every share bought just five years ago has paid out $11.65 since, providing a 20% gain on dividends alone. That may not be something to brag about at cocktail parties, but in the bipolar market of the past five years, that steady return… and dividend… is something to covet.
Always searching for your next paycheck,
Amy Calistri
Chief Investment Strategist — The Daily Paycheck
P.S. – I hold shares of KMB in my real-money Daily Paycheck portfolio. The strategy is working like a dream. As of now, I’m earning between $1,100 and $1,700 each month. To learn more about the strategy, read this memo.
Disclosure: StreetAuthority, LLC owns shares of KMB