Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:FTAI,EGL,INVA,ESIO,UTL,TZOO,XIV,FTNT,EE,SC,

[Editor’s note: This story was previously published in December 2017. It has since been updated and republished.]

When the stock market marches higher, it pushes the prices of many companies higher along with it. But as investors bid up good and bad businesses alike, that can make it hard to discern which companies are the best dividend stocks for long-term investors. That’s especially true in the world of dividends.

In this income-centric world, income-starved investors face great temptation to reach for high-dividend stocks that offer juicy yields. Fortunately, Simply Safe Dividends identified the nine best dividend growth stocks that investors can rely on for secure, fast-growing income.

These companies all have very healthy Dividend Safety Scores, which measure a firm’s most important financial metrics to gauge how likely it is to cut its dividend in the future.

Let’s take a look at nine of the safest dividend stocks in the market. These dividend-paying companies generate excellent free cash flow, maintain safe payout ratios, are committed to rewarding shareholders with healthy dividend increases and have bright long-term outlooks.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC(FTAI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  These are some of the media stories that may have effected Accern Sentiment’s scoring:

  Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTAI) Lifted to B- at TheStreet (americanbankingnews.com) BidaskClub Upgrades Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTAI) to “Buy” (americanbankingnews.com) Active Mover – Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (NYSE: FTAI) (alphabetastock.com) Services Stock Buzz: Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (FTAI) (stocksgeeks.com) Contrasting H&E Equipment Services (HEES) & Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTAI) (americanbankingnews.com)

  Shares of FTAI opened at $16.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1,365.03, a PE ratio of 135.42 and a beta of 1.56. Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors has a 12-month low of $14.25 and a 12-month high of $20.13.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Fortress Transprtn and Infr Investrs (NYSE: FTAI) and WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends and profitability.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: Engility Holdings, Inc.(EGL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lou Whiteman]

  Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE:SAIC) has joined the stampede of government services firms expanding via acquisition, agreeing Sept. 10 to acquire Engility Holdings (NYSE:EGL) for about $2.5 billion in stock and assumed debt.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Engility (EGL)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Rich Smith]

  On Monday, SAIC (NYSE:SAIC), which collected $4.4 billion in revenue last year providing engineering and IT services to various branches of the U.S. government, announced a "definitive agreement" to acquire fellow government IT contractor Engility (NYSE:EGL) and its $1.9 billion revenue stream for $1.6 billion, plus $900 million in assumed debt. (And let's give credit where it's due -- Reuters predicted this acquisition, and Vertical Research upgraded Engility because of it, two months ago).

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Engility (EGL)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited (NASDAQ: CLWT) shares jumped 155.56 percent to close at $5.75 on Thursday. Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: INSP) shares gained 56.12 percent to close at $24.98. Inspire Medical went public Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. The company issued 6.75 million shares priced at $16 each. Presbia PLC (NASDAQ: LENS) shares rose 53.02 percent to close at $3.55. Integrated Media Technology Limited (NASDAQ: IMTE) shares rose 46.29 percent to close at $32.11. The nano-cap low-float stock skyrocketed over 1,300 percent on Wednesday on no company specific news which would support the surge. The move higher is consistent with what was seen in other low-float stocks over the past few months. Technical Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: TCCO) climbed 27.78 percent to close at $5.75. STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA) shares gained 26.27 percent to close at $21.15 after reporting upbeat Q1 results. Sharing Economy International Inc. (NASDAQ: SEII) shares jumped 22.16 percent to close at $4.30 on Thursday after gaining 9.32 percent on Wednesday. China Advanced Construction Materials Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CADC) rose 20.45 percent to close at $2.65 on Thursday. YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) surged 18.36 percent to close at $9.99 following upbeat quarterly earnings. MYR Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MYRG) jumped 17.68 percent to close at $35.74 after the company posted strong Q1 earnings. Xspand Products Lab Inc (NASDAQ: XSPL) jumped 17.4 percent to close at $5.87. Xspand Products priced its IPO at $5 per share. Coherus BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRS) shares rose 17.32 percent to close at $14.90. Coherus BioSciences reported resubmission of BLA for CHS-1701. Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: RTEC) shares gained 17.17 percent to close at $31.05 following upbeat quarterly earnings. The Meet Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MEET) gained 16.02 percent to close at $2.68 following Q1 earnings. Ca
• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Here are some of the media stories that may have effected Accern Sentiment Analysis’s analysis:

  Get Engility alerts: Engility CEO Lynn Dugle Named Among 'Outstanding Women in STEM' (govconwire.com) Analysts Set Expectations for Engility Holdings Inc’s Q3 2018 Earnings (EGL) (americanbankingnews.com) Engility Holdings Inc Forecasted to Post Q3 2018 Earnings of $0.47 Per Share (EGL) (americanbankingnews.com) Engility to Present at the Jefferies 2018 Global Industrials Conference (finance.yahoo.com) Engility (EGL) Downgraded to Hold at Noble Financial (americanbankingnews.com)

  A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EGL. Noble Financial downgraded Engility from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $37.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Co raised their price objective on Engility from $27.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 13th. ValuEngine raised Engility from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 12th. Cowen set a $40.00 price objective on Engility and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 1st. Finally, Drexel Hamilton reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Engility in a research report on Wednesday, August 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Engility has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.50.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: Innoviva, Inc. (INVA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Innoviva (INVA)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Max Byerly]

  Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL lifted its holdings in shares of Innoviva Inc (NASDAQ:INVA) by 67.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 145,100 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 58,700 shares during the period. Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL’s holdings in Innoviva were worth $2,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Sean Williams, Chuck Saletta, and Brian Feroldi]

  With this in mind, we asked three Motley Fool investors to name one healthcare stock that's tops on their list for the month of June. These three mid-cap stocks made the cut: royalty drug company Innoviva (NASDAQ:INVA), mental illness treatment center operator Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC), and health savings account provider HealthEquity (NASDAQ:HQY).

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.(ESIO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Electro Scientific Industries (ESIO)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Max Byerly]

  Media coverage about Electro Scientific Industries (NASDAQ:ESIO) has been trending positive on Sunday, according to Accern Sentiment. The research firm identifies negative and positive media coverage by analyzing more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Electro Scientific Industries earned a media sentiment score of 0.27 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news headlines about the semiconductor company an impact score of 48.1496069802222 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the next several days.

• [By Timothy Green]

  Shares of Electro Scientific Industries (NASDAQ:ESIO) soared on Thursday after the provider of laser-based manufacturing solutions reported solid first-quarter results. ESI beat analyst estimates for both revenue and earnings, and it provided guidance that was ahead of analyst expectations. As of 12:10 p.m. EDT, the stock was up about 20.8%.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Electro Scientific Industries (NASDAQ: ESIO) and FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ:FCEL) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, dividends and earnings.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Electro Scientific Industries (ESIO)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ValuEngine downgraded shares of Electro Scientific Industries (NASDAQ:ESIO) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: UNITIL Corporation(UTL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Pacific Gas and Electric (NYSE: PCG) and Unitil (NYSE:UTL) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Press coverage about Unitil (NYSE:UTL) has trended somewhat positive this week, according to Accern. Accern identifies negative and positive media coverage by analyzing more than 20 million news and blog sources. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Unitil earned a news impact score of 0.09 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media coverage about the utilities provider an impact score of 46.4302036170418 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the next several days.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: Travelzoo Inc.(TZOO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: DARE) shares climbed 54.2 percent to $1.25 on news that the company entered into worldwide license agreement for Juniper Pharmaceuticals' intravaginal ring technology platform. Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO) climbed 21.3 percent to $9.40 following strong Q1 results. Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI) gained 16.5 percent to $4.60. K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) shares rose 11.2 percent to $15.4206 following Q3 results. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE: CBI) shares rose 11 percent to $15.3289. McDermott issued a release reiterating rejection of Subsea 7's offer. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: SIX) shares gained 9.2 percent to $64.61 as the company posted a narrower-than-expected loss for its first quarter. Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) surged 8.5 percent to $46.00 as the company posted in-line quarterly earnings. Carlisle Companies Incorporated (NYSE: CSL) climbed 7.5 percent to $107.22 after reporting Q1 results. Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALNA) rose 6.1 percent to $14.78. B. Riley initiated coverage on Allena Pharmaceuticals with a Buy rating. Texas Instruments Incorporated (NASDAQ: TXN) rose 4.6 percent to $102.90 after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter on Tuesday. Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE: CS) rose 4.5 percent to $17.03 following strong Q1 results. STMicroelectronics N.V. (NYSE: STM) rose 4.2 percent to $22.20 after reporting Q1 results.

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: DARE) shares jumped 56.69 percent to close at $1.27 on Wednesday on news that the company entered into worldwide license agreement for Juniper Pharmaceuticals' intravaginal ring technology platform. Vicor Corporation (NASDAQ: VICR) rose 26.84 percent to close at $37.10. Vicor posted Q1 earnings of $0.10 per share on sales of $65.2 million. AGM Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AGMH) climbed 25.56 percent to close at $10.61. Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO) gained 24.7 percent to close at $9.75 following strong Q1 results. Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI) shares climbed 19.24 percent to close at $4.71. China Customer Relations Centers, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCRC) rose 18.73 percent to close at $18.64. Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) climbed 18.28 percent to close at $5.89. Genprex expanded its operations to Cambridge, Mass. Scorpio Tankers Inc. (NYSE: STNG) rose 13.92 percent to close at $2.70 following Q1 results. Rocky Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKY) shares surged 13.57 percent to close at $23.85 after reporting Q1 results. Resonant Inc. (NASDAQ: RESN) shares rose 12.5 percent to close at $4.14 on Wednesday. USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NYSE: USNA) jumped 11.24 percent to close at $106.85 following Q1 results. SUPERVALU Inc. (NYSE: SVU) rose 11.16 percent to close at $16.24 after the company reported Q4 results and agreed to sell and leaseback eight distribution centers for an aggregate purchase price of $483 million. K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) shares gained 10.74 percent to close at $15.36 following Q3 results. Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) rose 9.15 percent to close at $46.28 as the company posted in-line quarterly earnings. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: SIX) shares climbed 8.49 percent to close at $64.18 as the company posted a narrower-than-expected loss for its first quarter. Carlisle Companies Incorporated (NYSE: CSL) gained 8.2 percent to close at $107.94 af
• [By Max Byerly]

  Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO) and CACI (NYSE:CACI) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and valuation.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Shares of Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO) got a boost, shooting up 30 percent to $10.16 following strong Q1 results.

  Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: SIX) shares were also up, gaining 8 percent to $64.01 as the company posted a narrower-than-expected loss for its first quarter.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: region(XIV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Money Morning News Team]

  This led some traders to purchase leveraged ETFs that move inverse to the VIX, like the VelocityShares Daily Inv VIX Short Term (Nasdaq: XIV).

  The VIX is a derivative of the broad S&P 500, and the XIV is a derivative of that derivative.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: Fortinet, Inc.(FTNT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Fortinet (NASDAQ:FTNT) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Piper Jaffray Companies from $64.00 to $80.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the software maker’s stock. Piper Jaffray Companies’ target price indicates a potential upside of 11.00% from the stock’s previous close.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Fortinet Inc.'s (NASDAQ: FTNT) short interest increased to 6.12 million shares from the previous 5.96 million. Shares were trading at $63.25. The 52-week range is $35.44 to $63.72.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Fortinet (FTNT)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: El Paso Electric Company(EE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Korea Electric Power (NYSE: KEP) and El Paso Electric (NYSE:EE) are both utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Shares of El Paso Electric (NYSE:EE) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $51.33.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on El Paso Electric (EE)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.(SC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers SemiLEDs Corporation (NASDAQ: LEDS) shares rose 35.8 percent to $4.55. EVINE Live Inc. (NASDAQ: EVLV) gained 28.8 percent to $1.04. The pay-TV home shopping company was named as a potential acquisition target by TechCrunch. According to the publication, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is exploring ways of marketing its products and services to consumers beyond the internet. Sanmina Corp (NASDAQ: SANM) shares surged 19.1 percent to $33.00 as the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its second quarter on Monday. Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSII) gained 14.9 percent to $37.22 as the company posted upbeat results for its first quarter. Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC) shares climbed 14 percent to $17.90 following upbeat quarterly earnings. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE: HLX) climbed 14 percent to $7.12 following strong quarterly results. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) gained 13.6 percent to $8.25. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) rose 11.8 percent to $3.34. Atossa Genetics disclosed that it has Received positive interim review from the Independent Safety Committee in Phase 1 Topical endoxifen dose escalation study in men. Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS) gained 11.6 percent to $40.99 after the company posted upbeat Q1 results and issued a strong Q2 forecast. Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) climbed 11.2 percent to $4.9363. Mitel Networks Corporation (NASDAQ: MITL) rose 10.5 percent to $11.23 after the company agreed to be acquired by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners for $2.0 billion. Systemax Inc. (NYSE: SYX) rose 10.2 percent to $30.86. Sidoti & Co. upgraded Systemax from Neutral to Buy. Orchids Paper Products Company (NYSE: TIS) surged 9.2 percent to $7.13. Orchids Paper Products is expected to report its Q1 financial results on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: EDU) rose
• [By Lisa Levin]

  Tuesday morning, the financial shares climbed 1.04 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC), up 15 percent, and OTC Markets Group Inc (OTC: OTCM), up 8 percent.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc (NYSE:SC) gapped up before the market opened on Monday after Citigroup raised their price target on the stock from $20.00 to $21.00. The stock had previously closed at $17.58, but opened at $18.68. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Santander Consumer USA shares last traded at $19.12, with a volume of 130287 shares trading hands.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc (NYSE:SC) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 12,151 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 1,275% compared to the typical daily volume of 884 put options.