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Zacks.com featured highlights KB Home, Caterpillar, Walmart, HCA Healthcare and Monolithic Power

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 27, 2023 – Stocks in this week’s article are KB Home (KBH - Free Report) , Caterpillar Inc. (CAT - Free Report) , Walmart Inc. (WMT - Free Report) , HCA Healthcare Inc. (HCA - Free Report) and Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR - Free Report) .

5 Dividend Stocks with Strong Prospects to Buy

Dividend investing is in demand once again, given the uncertainties around the Fed's future actions Though dividend-paying stocks don’t offer dramatic price appreciation, they can provide a consistent income stream. In particular, focusing on the growth level in this strategy leads to higher returns.

Stocks with a strong history of year-over-year dividend growth form a healthy portfolio, with a greater scope of capital appreciation, as opposed to simple dividend-paying stocks or those that have high yields. We have selected five dividend growth stocks — KB Home, Caterpillar Inc., Walmart Inc., HCA Healthcare Inc. and Monolithic Power Systems — that could be compelling picks for investors.

Inside Dividend Growth Strategy

Stocks that have a strong history of dividend growth belong to mature companies, which are less susceptible to large swings in the market, and thus act as a hedge against economic or political uncertainty as well as stock market volatility. At the same time, these offer downside protection with their consistent increase in payouts.

Additionally, these stocks have superior fundamentals that make dividend growth a quality and promising investment for the long term. These include a sustainable business model, a long track of profitability, rising cash flows, good liquidity, a strong balance sheet and some value characteristics. Further, a history of strong dividend growth indicates that a dividend increase is likely in the future.

Although these stocks do not necessarily have the highest yields, they have outperformed for a longer period than the broader stock market or any other dividend-paying stock.

As a result, picking dividend growth stocks appears as a winning strategy when some other parameters are also included.

Here are five of the 14 stocks that fit the bill:

California-based KB Home is a well-known homebuilder in the United States and one of the largest in the state. The company saw a solid earnings estimate revision of 67 cents over the past 30 days for the fiscal year (ending November 2023). It delivered an average earnings surprise of 20.66% for the past four quarters.

KB Home has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of B. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Illinois-based Caterpillar is the largest global construction and mining equipment manufacturer. The company saw a solid earnings estimate revision of 11 cents over the past 30 days for this year and has an estimated growth rate of 29.1%.

Caterpillar has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B.

Arkansas-based Walmart has evolved from being just a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer into an omnichannel player. It is engaged in the operation of retail, wholesale and other units worldwide. The company delivered an average earnings surprise of 12.03% for the past four quarters.

Presently, WMT has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B.

Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare is the largest non-governmental operator of acute care hospitals in the United States. The company has an estimated earnings growth rate of 7.2% for this year and delivered an average earnings surprise of 9.04% for the past four quarters.

HCA Healthcare has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B.

Washington-based Monolithic Power designs, develops and markets high-performance power solutions. The company focuses on the market for high-performance analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits. MPWR saw a positive earnings estimate revision of 5 cents over the past 30 days for this year and has delivered an average earnings surprise of 3.33% for the past four quarters.

Monolithic Power has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B.

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.

Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2127613/5-dividend-stocks-with-strong-growth-prospects-to-buy

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

About Screen of the Week

Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine.  But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.

Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News

Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year.

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Contact: Jim Giaquinto

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