Three Dividend Stocks That Made Big Moves Today

Dividend Stocks Dividends
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Last week I wrote about how well dividend stocks performed in 2011. This week dividend payers are continuing to rise.

Twenty dividend stocks that pay more than 3% yields were up at least 5% in price today. Here are three that stood out:

  • Xinyuan Real Estate Co. (NYSE: XIN): This Chinese real estate company saw its shares climb 7.4% today, the latest move in what has been a steady rise for this penny stock of late. Shares of Xinyuan are up 23% for the year after the company announced it has acquired 45,000 square meters of land in Xuzhou, where it will build high-rise residential apartments. The Xuzhou project is just the latest for a company that completed 21 projects a year ago, producing $600 million in revenue. That’s one reason Xinyuan was able to start paying dividends last year. The current yield is 4.4%.

 

  • AllianceBernstein Holding (NYSE: AB): A global investment management firm, AllianceBernstein is up 5.5% today after making a series of senior executive appointments in offices around the world this morning. The stock offers a very generous dividend of 7.1%. With a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 13 and a profit margin of 84%, both the stock and its generous dividend yield could have staying power.

 

  • Bon-Ton Stores (Nasdaq: BONT): 2011 wasn’t a good year for this U.S. department store. The stock plummeted 73% for the year. With the stock entering the day trading close to its 52-week low, investors apparently spotted a buying opportunity. The stock was up 5.6% today. Bon-Ton pays a hefty 6.7% dividend yield, but that appears unsustainable. The company hasn’t turned a profit in the last three quarters, and yet it has steadily increased its dividend since last April. Bon-Ton had a good day, but chances are it won’t last.
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