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☆ The 1% Stock-Buyback Tax Hasn’t Slowed Repurchases. A Proposed 4% Tax Might.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Executives largely shrugged off a new 1% tax on stock buybacks as the cost of doing business. Even with the 1% tax, stock buybacks are the preferred way to return cash to shareholders, Mr. Krone said at a conference in February. Stock repurchases by Berkshire and the publicly traded companies it owns benefited investors, he wrote in the Feb. 25 letter. For one, share repurchases typically don’t commit them to continuing to buy shares, and offer flexibility on timing. “We only really consider share repurchases when we have an attractive repurchase price,” the CFO said.

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☆ These dependable dividend increasers are beating the market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

While recent dividend cuts may make investors concerned about what's to come next, there are still many stocks that have dependable dividend increases. Last week, Intel slashed its dividend by more than 65% , following VF Corp.'s dividend cut and Hanesbrands elimination of its dividend last month. The exchange operator has increased its payout four of the last five years and has a one-year dividend-per-share growth of 24.1%. United Parcel Service has the highest one-year dividend-per-share growth at 49% on our list. Finally, Target has a 2.7% dividend yield and has a one-year dividend-per-share growth of 22.5%.

☆ Stock buybacks could total $1 trillion this year for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

There may be opposition to buybacks, but as long as cash flows remain strong Wall Street is continuing its love affair with dividends and buybacks. 2022 was a record year for both dividends and buybacks for S & P 500 companies: Buybacks: $930 billion (up 5.5% year over year) Dividends: $564 billion (up 6.4% year over) Source: S & P Global It looks like this is continuing into 2023. Occidental does not pay a big dividend (it's now only 1.2%), but it is part of a larger trend of increasing dividends and buybacks that began anew in 2022. We don't have data for 2023 yet, but Howard Silverblatt from S & P Global tells me, "I'm looking for $1 trillion in S & P buybacks and a mid-single digit increase in dividends." One trillion in buybacks would amount to a roughly 7% increase and would be the first time buybacks hit the $1 trillion mark.

☆ How to boost your portfolio income when companies cut dividends
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Dividend stocks have long been a way for investors to earn income, but recent cuts may have some concerned about what to do next. However, those recent decreases are unusual, said Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S & P Dow Jones Indices. Where to look for income Corporate dividends are just one source of income, and that income should be just one part of your overall portfolio, said certified financial planner Jamie Hopkins, managing partner of wealth solutions at Carson Group. Dividend funds Another option is an exchange-traded fund composed of dividend stocks. WDIV YTD mountain SPDR S & P Global Dividend ETF's year-to-date performance The ProShares S & P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF , also tracks the index.

☆ How to Invest in the S&P 500
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

The S&P 500 index, short for Standard & Poor’s 500 index, is one of the most widely traded and talked about stock indexes in the world. The Largest S&P 500 Index Funds Ticker Symbols Expense Ratio Fund Size Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund VOO, VFFSX, VFIAX 0.010%-0.040% $792 billion SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY 0.095% $380 billion Fidelity 500 Index Fund FXAIX 0.015% $374 billion iShares Core S&P 500 ETF IVV 0.030% $307 billion Vanguard Institutional Index Fund VINIX, VIIIX 0.020%-0.035% $238 billion Morningstar DirectS&P 500 mutual funds vs. S&P 500 ETFsAnother thing to consider is whether you want to buy a traditional mutual fund or an exchange-traded fund, which trades like a stock. Equal weight, value or ESG S&P 500 fundsMoreover, if you’re concerned about the heavy weighting of certain sectors in the S&P index you can invest instead in an equal weight S&P 500 index fund or add those shares to your portfolio. Alternatively, you can buy an S&P 500 value fund, which represents stocks that are considered undervalued or an S&P 500 growth fund, which represents the fastest-growing companies in the S&P 500. Another variation on the S&P 500 index theme incorporates ESG (environmental, social and governance) values while maintaining similar overall industry group weights as the S&P 500.

☆ Premarket stocks: Share buybacks could beat last year's record $1.2 trillion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Companies have announced about $175 billion worth of planned stock buybacks so far this year. This year will likely be the first with at least $1 trillion in completed S&P 500 company buybacks, said Howard Silverblatt at S&P Dow Jones Indices. ▸ GM (GM) just inked an exclusive deal for the hottest product in automaking: Semiconductors. The strong dollar is hurting multinationalsThe rip-roaring dollar cut deeply into the earnings of multinational companies selling their wares overseas last quarter. “We got hit with that.”McDonald’s (MCD) and 3M (MMM) also said in earnings reports that they were worried that the strong dollar would affect future sales.

Biden, who earlier last year signed into law a 1% tax on corporate stock buybacks, used his speech to call for that to be quadrupled, as well as renew his calls for higher taxes on billionaires. If companies sense such a tax is imminent, it might spur them to speed up buybacks and eventually shift toward paying dividends instead. "If this tax encourages companies to raise their dividends instead of buying back shares, all in all, it's not a bad thing." Other topics were also watched by investors, particularly remarks on China, a key area of interest for investors. BUYBACKS & BILLIONAIRESCorporate stock buybacks, where public companies buy back their own shares, thereby juicing the price of the shares as a way to return cash to shareholders, have grabbed headlines this year.

"If this tax encourages companies to raise their dividends instead of buying back shares, all in all, it's not a bad thing." Other topics will be watched by investors, particularly remarks on China, a key area of interest for investors. BUYBACKS & BILLIONAIRESCorporate stock buybacks, where public companies buy back their own shares, thereby juicing the price of the shares, as a way to return cash to shareholders, have grabbed headlines this year. S&P 500 companies' stock buybacks are expected to total $220 billion for the fourth quarter of 2022, with 2023 set to be the first fiscal year with over $1 trillion in buybacks, according to data from S&P Dow Jones Indices. Biden is also expected to call for another narrow tax increase: a "billionaire minimum tax" aimed at taxing the unrealized capital gains from assets such as stocks, bonds, or privately held companies of high-net-worth individuals.

☆ Factbox: U.S. stock buybacks so far in 2023: big money, fewer companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The oil major's announcement was followed last week by Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), the parent of Facebook which last week unveiled a $40 billion buyback. So far in 2023, 78 companies have announced buybacks compared with 125 companies as of this time last year, according to EPFR TrimTabs, which tracks announcements by companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and American Stock Exchange. ** S&P 500 companies are expected to have completed $220 billion in buybacks during the fourth quarter of 2022, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. ** Buybacks have contributed 3.7% to S&P 500 earnings-per-share growth for the fourth quarter, according to data from Credit Suisse as of Friday. The buyback index fell 12.7% in 2022 versus a 19.4% drop for the overall S&P 500.

☆ Biden's stock buyback tax isn't working. In State of the Union, he's asking Congress for more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

In September 2021, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) proposed that stock buybacks should be taxed at 2%. Lazonick, who thought any minor buyback tax would be ineffective, says he has been proven correct. If a higher buyback tax is enacted, he is betting it will not have the outcomes that Democrats envision. While it's hard to see a higher tax getting passed in the current Congress, it does make sense for Biden to state his desire for 4%. Changing a buyback tax, though, might first prove harder.

☆ Wall St Week Ahead Recession fears pose challenge to energy shares after stellar year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The S&P 500 energy sector (.SPNY) is up 4.2% year-to-date, slightly lagging the rise for the broader index (.SPX). Goldman Sachs, RBC Capital Markets and UBS Global Wealth Management are among the Wall Street firms recommending energy stocks. He said he is slightly overweight the energy sector, including shares of Chevron and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD.N). But earnings are expected to decline 15% this year, the biggest drop among the 11 S&P 500 sectors. Energy companies executed $22 billion in share buybacks in the third quarter, just over 10% of all S&P 500 buybacks.

☆ Wall Street Week Ahead Recession fears pose challenge to energy shares after stellar year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

☆ Chevron’s mammoth buyback plan – Here’s why Wall Street loves share repurchases
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

With a market cap of $346 billion, a $75 billion buyback is about 20% of the shares outstanding. Exxon Mobil also has a $50 billion buyback plan, for example. Wall Street loves buybacks Buybacks have become an important part of returning shareholder profits. "Wall Street loves buybacks for two reasons," Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst, product management for S & P Dow Jones Indices, told me. Here's a list of larger companies that had significant share count reduction in Q3, the last quarter with complete data.

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☆ 2023 will be another record year for dividend payouts. Here's why that matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index (VYM) , for example, with more than $50 billion in assets, saw shares outstanding increase 20%. Dividend ETFs are typically divided into two groups: high dividend and dividend growers. ETFs that specialize in high dividends include iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY) and Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM), and these are typically paying yields in the 3% range. Dividend growers include ProShares S & P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) , Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (VIG) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) . There are 58 of those in the S & P 500, including Caterpillar, Air Products, Franklin Resources, Aflac, and Procter & Gamble.

☆ Companies Spend Record Amounts on Dividends, Despite Looming Downturn
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

They usually review their cash flow expectations for at least the next 18 months when determining whether or how much to pay in dividends, Mr. Silverblatt said. Of the S&P 500, 373 companies raised dividends in 2022 through Dec. 15, compared with 353 in 2021, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. Five S&P 500 companies decreased their dividend in 2022 through Dec. 15, compared with four in 2021. It paid $7 billion in cash dividends for the year ended Oct. 30, up 13.2% from the prior-year period. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $505.5 million as of Sept. 30, down from $673 million a year earlier, filings showed.

☆ It's not just tech. Consumer and communications stocks aided in $10 trillion market wipeout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Scott Schnipper | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Most of the decline came in S & P 500 stocks, which lost a combined $8.2 trillion. Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Tesla, Meta Platforms and Nvidia lost a combined $4.95 trillion in market capitalization in 2022. Of those seven megacaps, losses ranged from Amazon's plunging market value of $844 billion to Nvidia's decline of $388 billion. Broken down by the S & P 500's 11 major industry groups, information technology's market value slid $3.49 trillion in 2022, trailed by consumer discretionary stocks, dominated by Amazon, Tesla, Home Depot, Nike, Lowe's and Target, at $1.91 trillion. Silverblatt used the S & P U.S. Broad Market Index, consisting of roughly 2,500 stocks, to measure the total market decline of $10 trillion.

☆ The Dow's yearly performance is beating the S&P 500 by the most in decades. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The S & P 500 has shed more than 18% on the same basis, and the Nasdaq Composite is down more than 32% . It's rare that the Dow would beat out the S & P 500 on a total-return basis at all. "Over time, the Dow correlates with the S & P 500," said Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst for S & P Dow Jones Indices. On the flipside, large tech names in the S & P 500 have done much worse. In addition, Wall Street analysts say it is unlikely that the Dow will again outperform the S & P 500 in 2023.

☆ New Tax on Buybacks Is Weeks Away, but Finance Chiefs Aren’t Too Worried
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

A new corporate tax on stock buybacks hasn’t worried finance chiefs enough for them to rethink their strategy. For Bolingbrook, Ill.-based Ulta Beauty Inc., a maker of beauty products, the impact of the tax will be minimal, finance chief Scott Settersten said. The company’s board in March authorized a new buyback program that enables Ulta Beauty to repurchase up to $2 billion in shares. It is set to be levied on net buybacks, meaning total shares repurchased minus new shares issued during the year. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS How will the new tax on stock buybacks affect company repurchase plans in the years ahead?

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☆ Stocks could get a lift from this huge buying force in the fourth quarter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Buybacks are expected to come in full force in the fourth quarter, poised to give the volatile stock market a big boost. Publicly traded companies have a policy that restricts trading in their own shares beginning two weeks prior to the quarter end, through 48 hours after earnings are publicly released. Most of the current buybacks are executed through Rule 10b5-1, which allows companies to set up a predetermined plan to buy back stock. Buybacks have been a popular way for companies to return cash to shareholders, competing with dividends. Corporate America also uses share repurchases to improve earnings per share, since buybacks reduce the share count.

☆ The Dow is in a bear market. What does that mean?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Worries that the Federal Reserve's war against decades-high inflation is pushing the U.S. economy into a downturn have sent the U.S. stock market tumbling in 2022. With the S&P 500 (.SPX) and Nasdaq (.IXIC) already down some 23% and 32%, respectively, from their record highs, confirmation the Dow is also in a bear market is just the latest milestone in 2022's market turmoil. Many investors use the terms loosely, and analysts don't always share the same specific definitions, particularly about when to call the end of a bear market. However, S&P Dow Jones Indices, which administers the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average, has an even more nuanced definition. Indeed, investors can only be sure they are in a new bull market once a new record high has been reached, and at that point, the previous low would mark the end of the bear market and beginning of the new bull market, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.

☆ Record buybacks imperiled by 1% excise tax and weaker CEO confidence in economic outlook
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-09 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

S & P 500 Buybacks Q3 2021: $235 billion Q4 2021: $270 billion Q1 2022: $281 billion (quarterly record) Q2: 2022: $226 billion (est.) Source: S & P Global Bottom line: the 12 months ending June 2022 saw $1.012 trillion in stock bought back, the first time buybacks topped one trillion, according to S & P Global. Technology companies who buy back their stock will be getting some larger tax bills, according to an analysis by S & P Global. While a 1% tax is not much, some argue it could open the door to heftier tax rates down the line." Weaker CEO confidence in the economic outlook may cause a slowdown in buybacks.

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