Today I am looking at a cluster of blue-chip beauties waiting to deliver splendid returns.
BAE Systems
If history has taught us anything, it’s that mankind’s appetite to wage war is one of life’s constants. The escalation of Russian bombing in Syria just this week is a fresh example of this, and follows the country’s excursion into Ukraine in 2014. With Washington leading NATO criticism of Moscow’s actions, and building their weapons to fight global terrorism and Chinese expansionism as well, I believe BAE Systems (LSE: BA) is a dependable selection for dividend seekers.
The business is a critical component supplier for both the US and UK, and is increasingly spreading its wings to service clients in developing regions. And with improving Western economies giving defence budgets a strong shot in the arm, I expect dividends at BAE Systems to keep stomping higher alonge with earnings. Indeed, rewards of 20.9p and 21.6p per share are forecast by the City for 2015 and 2016 respectively, yielding a very decent 4.7% and 4.8%.
Taylor Wimpey
Like BAE Systems, I believe that construction play Taylor Wimpey’s (LSE: TW) is also a great defensive dividend selection. I have loaded up on the firm myself thanks to the growing supply/demand balance affecting the UK housing market. A backdrop of fattening wage packets, rising employment levels and favourable lending conditions continues to fuel housing demand, while homeowners’ growing reluctance to put their homes on the market is adding to the homes shortage and pushing prices up still further.
The pressure is rising on the British government to build new houses for the growing population, but any potential action is unlikely to solve the problem any time soon. Consequently earnings at the likes of Taylor Wimpey are expected to keep on surging at double-digit rates, a terrific sign for future dividends — Taylor Wimpey alone is expected to deliver a payment of 9.3p per share for 2015 alone, yielding a handsome 4.7%. And this moves to 5.6% for 2016 due to predictions of an 11p dividend.
Imperial Tobacco Group
Thanks to the dependable nature of cigarette demand, I reckon Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT) should remain a hot dividend selection for some time to come. The terrific earnings visibility attached to the cigarette industry has long made the sector a magnet for dividend chasers, and with consumer spending power in emerging markets steadily improving, I reckon payouts should continue marching northwards.
And for Imperial Tobacco, I believe the company’s recent moves to bolster its position in the North American marketplace — not to mention development of key areas like e-cigarettes and caffeine strips — bodes extremely well for both growth and income hunters. The City subsequently expects the smoking giant to shell out dividends of 141p and 155.1p per share for the years ending September 2015 and 2016 respectively, yielding a handsome 4.2% and 4.6%.
Redefine International
With conditions on the British High Street steadily improving, I believe that Redefine International (LSE: RDI) should deliver terrific returns looking ahead. The real estate investment trust (or REIT) concentrates primarily on the retail sector, and is also heavily engaged in the M&A arena to enhance its growth prospects still further — just last month the business snapped up the AUK Portfolio of Aegon UK Property Fund for a colossal £437.2m.
And Redefine International also has a weighty presence in the eurozone powerhouse of Germany, providing investors with further grounds for optimism. The business is expected to fork out dividends of 3.3p per share in 2015, yielding 6.1%, and 3.4p in the following period, generating a monster yield of 6.3%.