Sure Dividend

Sure Dividend

HIGH QUALITY DIVIDEND STOCKS, LONG-TERM PLAN

September 2015 Edition

By Ben Reynolds

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Table of Contents

Opening Thoughts......................................................................................................................... 3 The Top 10 List ............................................................................................................................. 4 Analysis of Top 10 Stocks............................................................................................................ 5

Wal-Mart (WMT) ....................................................................................................................... 5 Coca-Cola (KO) .......................................................................................................................... 7 Eaton Corporation (ETN) ........................................................................................................... 9 Deere & Company (DE) ........................................................................................................... 11 W.W. Grainger (GWW)............................................................................................................ 13 United Technologies (UTX) ..................................................................................................... 15 Abbott Laboratories (ABT)....................................................................................................... 17 Johnson & Johnson (JNJ).......................................................................................................... 18 Caterpillar (CAT)...................................................................................................................... 20 Baxalta (BXLT) ........................................................................................................................ 22 Analysis of International Stocks ............................................................................................... 23 List of Stocks by Sector .............................................................................................................. 24 List of Stocks by Rank ................................................................................................................ 27 Portfolio Building Guide ............................................................................................................ 30 Examples................................................................................................................................... 30 List of Past Recommendations................................................................................................... 31 Closing Thoughts ........................................................................................................................ 32

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Opening Thoughts

The S&P 500 declined 8.5% since the previous Sure Dividend newsletter (8/2/15). The Dividend Aristocrats index declined 7.4% over the same period. Last month's top 10 Sure Dividend stocks fell an average of 5.5% for comparison

High quality businesses should see their stock prices fall less than the overall stock market over a full market correction. Smaller losses mean greater gains during recoveries. An example is below:

Imagine two stocks. `Stock A' falls 70% during bear a bear market and gains 140% during the following bull market. `Stock B' falls 20% during a bear market and gains 40% during the following bull market. Which one comes out ahead?

Stock A would have lost 28% even after its massive 140% rally. Stock B, on the other hand, would have gained 12%. The farther a stock falls, the more difficult it is to recover.

Bear markets expose unsound economic policies. China is being mauled by the current bear market. The Chinese stock market (as measured by the ETF FXI) fell 17.0% since the last Sure Dividend newsletter. The country's growth is slowing as the folly of massive government funded infrastructure projects begins to become apparent.

We are in an ultra-low interest rate environment with significant government debt around the world. Interest rates simply cannot rise (in any meaningful degree) in many European countries or Japan without triggering either government debt defaults (unlikely) or currency devaluations (much more likely).

The global economy could quickly recover, or we could enter into a global recession similar to the Great Recession. A temporary recovery will only push the inevitability of a serious correction further down the road. This is not to say I'm perpetually bearish ? quite the opposite. The long-term growth prospects of great businesses in specific, and the global economy in general are bright simply because of humanity's capacity for continuous improvement. We are simply in need of a correction to correct the economic errors of the recent past.

20 Year Dividend Yield Histories This month, the Sure Dividend newsletter has a new feature: 20 year dividend yield histories for the Top 10 stocks (when applicable). The 20 year dividend yield charts give a historical perspective about if now is a `good' time to purchase a particular dividend stock. Most of the Top 10 stocks are at dividend yield highs not seen since the Great Recession. Wal-Mart is currently trading for its highest dividend yield ever.

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The Top 10 List

Ticker

Name

Score Yield Payout Growth Beta Volatility

WMT Wal-Mart Stores

1.00 3.07% 40.25% 8.48% 0.53 19.10%

KO Coca-Cola Company 0.94 3.43% 58.93% 9.04% 0.57 18.55%

ETN Eaton

0.92 4.00% 46.51% 8.99% 1.15 31.48%

DE Deere & Co.

0.91 3.03% 36.87% 13.30% 1.22 35.06%

GWW W.W. Grainger Inc. 0.89 2.14% 37.59% 15.39% 0.88 25.89%

UTX United Technolog. 0.89 2.82% 36.78% 7.44% 0.96 24.28%

ABT Abbott Laboratories 0.89 2.23% 41.38% 10.00% 0.53 19.79%

JNJ Johnson & Johnson 0.89 3.29% 49.67% 4.63% 0.54 16.15%

CAT Caterpillar

0.88 4.21% 49.68% 9.45% 1.22 33.34%

BXLT Baxalta

0.88 0.78% 13.02% 8.00% 0.26 21.69%

The `Score' column shows how close the composite rankings are between the top 10. The highest ranked stock will always have a score of 1. The closer the score is to 1, the better.

Changes in the top 10 occur with new financial news and stock price changes. The stability of the top 10 list shows the ranking method is consistent, not based on rapid swings. An equally weighted portfolio of the top 10 has the following characteristics:

Dividend Yield: Payout Ratio: Growth Rate: PE Ratio:

Top 10 2.9% 41.1% 9.5% 14.7

S&P500 2.2% 43.0% 7.4% 19.4

- P/E is calculated as the current price divided by trailing-twelve month earnings ; lower is better - Dividend Yield is calculated as the most recent quarterly dividend x 4 divided by the current price; higher is better - Payout ratio is the most recent quarterly dividend x 4 divided by trailing-twelve month earnings; lower is better - Growth Rate is the lower of 10 year earnings per share or dividend per share compound growth; higher is better

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Analysis of Top 10 Stocks

Wal-Mart (WMT)

Overview & Current Events Wal-Mart is by far the largest discount retailer in the world. The company generates 70% more sales than Costco, Target, and Amazon combined.

Wal-Mart grew constant-currency revenue 3.6% in its most recent quarter (8/18/15). Operating profits declined 7.2% on a constant currency basis due primarily to lower pharmacy reimbursements and higher wages paid to its workers. U.S. comparable store sales grew 1.5%. The company's recent investment in its employees, infrastructure, and e-commerce operations are reducing profits in the short-run. In the long-run, these initiatives will drive greater profits for Wal-Mart. Next Dividend Record Date: December 4th, 2015 Next Earnings Release: Mid November, 2015

Competitive Advantage & Recession Performance Wal-Mart's competitive advantage comes from its scale and operating efficiency. Wal-Mart is the biggest retailer in the world. Its size allows it to command the best prices from its suppliers. The company pressures suppliers to lower their prices and then passes savings on to consumers, resulting in a positive feedback loop.

The Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 did not impede operations. Wal-Mart grew revenue, earnings, and dividends each year through the recession. Wal-Mart is among the most `recession-proof' publicly traded businesses. When the S&P 500 fell 38% in 2008, Wal-Mart gained 18%.

Growth Prospects, Valuation, & Catalyst Wal-Mart is investing heavily in the future at the expense of short-term growth. The company recently acquired 100% of YiHaoDian ? a large Chinese e-commerce business. The company is investing in its employees with wage increases, and is improving its infrastructure with 4 new fulfillment centers in the United States.

Wal-Mart is currently trading for an adjusted P/E ratio of just 13.1. Wal-Mart is the industry leader in discount retail, yet has the lowest P/E ratio of its peers. The company appears significantly undervalued at this time.

Maximum Drawdown (starting in year 2000): -37% in October of 2000

DRIP Available: Dividend Yield: 10 Year EPS Growth Rate: 10 Year Dividend Growth Rate: Most Recent Dividend Increase: Dividend History:

Yes, with fees 3.1% 7.6% per year 12.6% per year 2.1% 42 Consecutive years of dividend increases

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