It’s important to keep a look out for dividend stocks to sell in your portfolio.
I’ll always believe that there’s nothing better than a quality dividend stock, one that not only provides a decent return but also has a solid dividend history to reward shareholders. That’s why I will also be disappointed in a poor dividend stock, and I don’t have any tolerance for them in my portfolio.
Dividend stocks to sell are the ones that don’t make the grade. They are as disappointing as melted ice cream, a dry Thanksgiving turkey or soggy French fries. You know you should have something amazing, but it fails to live up to its potential.
Each of these dividend stocks to sell represents missed opportunities, unfulfilled expectations, and a total failure of a dividend stock that should be helping you grow your portfolio.
I used my Portfolio Grader and Dividend Grader tools to evaluate stocks to see which ones are good and which are dividend stocks to sell.
These tools consider earnings performance, growth, analyst sentiment, momentum and dividend history to rank all stocks on an “A” through “F” grade.
These are the dividend stocks to sell today.
3M Company (MMM)
3M Company (NYSE:MMM) is a blue-chip conglomerate, but that status hasn’t saved it from a disappointing 2023.
The company, which makes protective equipment, medical supplies, cleaning products and other items, has seen its stock plummet 21% just this year.
I’m not very excited about the company’s prospects moving forward, either. 3M is spinning off its healthcare segment by the end of the year.
The unit, which makes wound care products, oral care and supplies healthcare technology, made up 25% of 3M’s sales last year of $34.23 billion.
I have no problem with spinoffs if it makes the company leaner and more profitable. Get rid of the undesirable units in a spinoff and keep what makes the engine run. But 3M is getting rid of a key unit that brings in a huge amount of revenue.
Will it be able to maintain the dividend? Currently, 3M has a payout of 6%, which is tempting. But there are too many questions around 3M stock for me to pull the trigger, which is why it’s one of the dividend stocks to sell before time runs out.
MMM stock has “D” ratings in the Portfolio Grader and the Dividend Grader.
Hanesbrands (HBI)
Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI) has lots of brands, but it’s the Champions brand that has me shaking my head.
Champion brand is a workout apparel line for men, women and children. In early September, Hanesbrands announced a licensing agreement for Champion with G-III Apparel Group. Several days later, it celebrated the launch of a new Champion global advertising campaign. All good, right?
But just six days later, Hanesbrands announced it would look at “strategic options” for the brand, including “a potential sale or other strategic transaction.”
That’s quite a turnaround – triggered by activist investor Barington Capital, which wants HBI to reduce its $3.6 billion debt. And it tells me that any strategic planning the company has is gone out the window.
The stock is down 17% this year and Hanesbrands suspended its dividend. That’s an unforgivable move if you’re an income investor.
Revenue in the second quarter fell 5% from the previous year, and profits were down from $154 million a year ago to $87 million this year. The company also issued reduced Q3 guidance of $5.8 billion to $5.9 billion, down from a range of $6.05 billion to $6.2 billion.
HBI gets an “F” rating in the Portfolio Grader and a “D” rating in the Dividend Grader.
Citigroup (C)
Citigroup (NYSE:C) is an international banking company, operating in more than 150 countries and jurisdictions.
It provides financial services to corporations, governments, investors, institutions, and individuals.
It’s been a tough year for Citigroup and other banking stocks. First, the regional banking crisis raised questions about the liquidity of many banks and dragged down the sector.
Even after the sector solidified and rallied, Citigroup stock was never ever to regain its first-quarter highs.
Then in August, the sector took another hit when bond rating agencies issued warnings against the nation’s biggest banks and suggested they be downgraded. Because banks rely on bond sales to fund their operations, a downgrade could drastically affect Citigroup’s bottom line.
Citigroup is already showing signs of strain. Revenues in the second quarter were $17.68 billion, but that’s down 3% from a year ago. Earnings per share of $1.33 was down nearly 40%.
That leaves Citigroup with no choice but to tap into the bond market – in September, its subsidiary Citibank made its first bank-level debt offering in five years, selling $5 billion in fixed- and floating-rate notes.
C stock is down 11% this year, including a 15% drop since August. It gets “D” ratings in both the Portfolio Grader and Dividend Grader.
Southwest Airlines (LUV)
There’s nothing wrong with airline stocks. I recently recommended one of the major carriers, United Airlines (NYSE:UAL), as a stock to buy in the fourth quarter.
But I don’t feel the same way about one of its major competitors, Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV). The company continues to stumble its way out of the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, with the stock down more than 20% just this year.
Revenue of $7.04 billion in the second quarter was up less than 5% from a year ago, but rising labor costs cut earnings by 10% and dropped the company’s profit margin to just 9.7%.
Those costs may increase as the pilot’s union is operating rotating picket lines and demanding a new contract.
The company’s guidance for the third quarter calls for revenue to be down 3% to 7% in the third quarter, but I’m expecting it to be even more as fuel costs creep up and make the cost of operating airlines even more expensive.
LUV stock gets “D” ratings in the Portfolio Grader and the Dividend Grader.
Dominion Energy (D)
Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) provides power to 7 million customers in 16 states. Interestingly, the company is making moves to get out of the natural gas business, with its September announcement that it’s selling three distribution companies to Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) for $14 billion.
This is happening as the company a year after the company announced it was starting a corporate review of its operations. But it hasn’t announced the results, or how the Enbridge sale fits into its long-term strategy.
It’s also the second time that Dominion sold off a big part of the company. In 2020, it dumped most its midstream business to Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B) and cut its dividend.
Will Dominion cut the dividend again? It’s hard to say. The Enbridge deal relieved Dominion of $9.4 billion in debt, which helps the bottom line. But Dominion will also take in less revenue and is still making big moves to build out solar and wind energy projects.
There are a lot of questions about Dominion right now. But with the stock price down more than 25% this year and no clear answers, D stock gets an “F” rating in the Portfolio Grader and a “D” rating in the Dividend Grader.
Realty Income (O)
Realty Income (NYSE:O) is a real estate investment trust that invests in free-standing, single-tenant commercial properties.
It has more than 13,000 properties with interests in every U.S. state, plus the U.K., Ireland, Spain, Italy and Puerto Rico.
Its assets include warehouses, convenience stores, restaurants, hotels and casinos.
As a REIT, Realty Income is required to pay out 90% of its income in the form of a dividend, which it does at roughly a 6% yield on a monthly basis. But the stock price dampens my enthusiasm for that yield.
O stock is down more than 20% this year as investors are taking advantage of rising interest rates to put their money into products such as government-backed CDs that aren’t glamorous but are safer investments. As long as interest rates remain high, REITs like Realty Income will face significant headwinds.
O stock gets “D” ratings in the Portfolio Grader and the Dividend Grader.
Newmont Mining (NEM)
Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM) mines gold, copper, silver, zinc and lead, with mining operations in North America, South America, Australia and Africa.
It’s the largest gold miner in the world and has aspirations to get even bigger – Newmont is working on a deal to purchase Newcrest Mining in Australia for $16.86 billion.
But this hasn’t been a great year for mining stocks like Newmont. Mining stocks get affected by sentiment of the global economy – if people think a recession is coming, then that weighs on commodity prices, and in turn, mining stocks.
On top of that, the World Bank is projecting metal prices to fall by 8% this year, and by another 3% in 2024.
Newmont’s revenue in the second quarter was down 12.2% to $2.68 billion, with EPS of 19 cents, a drop of 61% from a year ago. NEM stock is down 16% this year.
It gets “D” ratings in the Portfolio Grader and the Dividend Grader.
On the date of publication, neither Louis Navellier nor the InvestorPlace Research Staff member primarily responsible for this article held (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.