20 Most Profitable Dividend Challengers

 | May 31, 2013 02:05AM ET

Today I'm focusing on dividend growth stocks that have raised their payments over a period of more than five years but less than 10 years in a row. Such stocks are collectively referred to as Dividend Challengers.

The results show the top 20 companies with margins between 17.57 percent and 32.67 percent. Eleven of the results have a current buy or better recommendation.

Union Pacific (UNP) has a market capitalization of $73.36 billion. The company employs 46,437 people, generates revenue of $20.926 billion and has a net income of $3.943 billion. The firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $8.505 billion. The EBITDA margin is 40.64 percent (the operating margin is 32.20 percent and the net profit margin 18.84 percent).

Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 19.08 percent of the company’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 45.26 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 20.51 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $8.52. Last fiscal year, the company paid $2.49 in the form of dividends to shareholders.

Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 18.45, the P/S ratio is 3.48 and the P/B ratio is finally 3.69. The dividend yield amounts to 1.77 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 1.15.