U.S. stocks fell on Thursday and could be in line for more weakness as worries about Washington’s ability to find a timely solution to the “fiscal cliff” dominate investor thinking in coming weeks.
The S&P 500 dropped for a second day and closed below its 200-day moving average for the first time in five months. The moving average is a measure of the market’s long-term trend, and a significant breakthrough that level would be seen as a sign of weakness. Just minutes before the closing bell, stocks accelerated their declines and the S&P 500 fell more than 1 percent.
Since reaching a 52-week closing high of 1,465.77 on Sept. 14, the S&P 500 has dropped 6 percent. On Wednesday, a day after Democratic President Barack Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney in the U.S. election, the benchmark S&P 500 dropped more than 2 percent for its biggest one-day percentage decline since June 1.
The post election market selloff is based on perceived changes in fiscal policy. While many investors are concerned about changes to dividend and capital gains, the best bet is to continue to look for long-term investments.
The list below shows the best performing dividend stocks over the past 5 trading days that are considered buys or better by First Call analyst consensus. All of these stocks have a dividend yield of 3% or higher with a 5-day price performance of 4.85% or better. Highlights include:
Telular Corporation (WRLS), a global leader in helping businesses use wireless networks for remote monitoring and tracking, announced revenue was up 24% year-over-year to $13.1 million in the fourth quarter and up 18% to$48.4 million for the full year.
Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYAOF) increased fiscal Q2 profit 23% and raised its forecast for full-year earnings, Bloomberg reports.
Questcor Pharmaceuticals (QCOR) reported Q3 earnings of $0.97 per share, versus the Capital IQ consensus of $0.76. Revenues were $140.3 million, versus the analyst estimate of $128.99 million. In the same period last year, the company reported EPS of $0.37 on revenues of $59.8 million.
Mission West Properties, Inc. (MSW) announced that it has entered into two agreements to dispose of all of its real estate assets for an enterprise value of approximately $1.3 billion, which was unanimously approved by its Board of Directors. Following completion of these transactions, Mission West intends to liquidate after satisfying outstanding debts, applicable taxes and related transaction costs. Mission West currently estimates these transactions will result in a distribution to stockholders (and the O.P. unit holders that elect to redeem their O.P. units) in the range of $9.20 to $9.28 per share in cash, although the amount ultimately distributed to stockholders may be below this range.
High Yield Dividend Stocks Gaining in a Down Market
| Company Name | Symbol | Security Price | Dividend Yield | Price Performance (5 Days) | First Call Consensus Recommendation |
| TELULAR CORP | $10.67 | 4.57% | 9.60% | Buy (1.7) | |
| RYANAIR HOLDINGS PLC | $35.49 | 6.19% | 9.12% | Buy (2.0) | |
| QUESTCOR PHARMACEUTICALS INC. | $25.20 | 3.09% | 8.70% | Buy (2.1) | |
| ADVOCAT INC | $5.50 | 4.00% | 8.70% | Buy (2.0) | |
| MISSION WEST PROPERTIES INC. | $8.90 | 5.85% | 7.63% | Buy (2.3) | |
| LAWSON PRODUCTS INC | $8.90 | 5.60% | 7.13% | Buy (2.0) | |
| ERIE INDEMNITY COMPANY | $66.58 | 3.33% | 5.22% | Buy (2.0) | |
| CINEMARK HOLDINGS INC | $26.09 | 3.20% | 5.21% | Buy (2.1) | |
| OILTANKING PARTNERS LP | $36.73 | 4.11% | 5.03% | Buy (2.4) | |
| MAIDEN HOLDINGS LTD | $8.73 | 4.14% | 4.85% | Buy (1.8) |