TAKING STOCK: High-yield stocks

Dear Readers:

Recently, I gave you some of Ossie Ollum’s recommendations for low-priced stocks and promised to give you more this week.

But for some reason, he wasn’t confident about his other picks.

However, many readers are interested in stocks yielding over 10 percent, and Ashley Madison was kind enough to help me out.

Ash believes there are some uncommonly good high yields out there but warns that if the stock market takes a dip, each of these recommendations will probably dip more than the market.

At 6 feet 2 inches tall, with shoulder-length blond hair, carrying a solid 189 pounds of mostly ripped muscle, supported with broad shoulders and size 11 feet in steel-toe hobnail boots, 32-year-old Ashley Madison used to be known as the finest high-yield stock artiste in Wamsutter, Wyoming.

In January 2015, the list of 10 high-yield stocks Ashley shared with me was a grand slam.

Those 10 high yielders had a total return of plus 47.2 percent, including dividends.

Wow, even Michael Milken was impressed.

But that was just one good year in a row; the following two years were daunting, unmitigated disasters.

In 2016, her 10 issues imploded when they came into contact with Earth’s atmosphere and its 21 percent oxygen level.

Ashley’s total return that year was minus 31.2 percent.

Not good, that!

In 2017, Ashley’s January 10-stock portfolio was down by 37.2 percent 11 months later. However, because the third time is a charm (in most movies, it’s the third key that opens the door), Ashley gave me 10 high yielders to share with you this week.

Still, you may need all the help you can get, so I propose that you spend the remaining Sundays of this year in the amen corner of your church.

It won’t cost you a thing, but your family may be surprised at the results.

Uniti Group (UNIT-$16.05) is a real estate investment trust that owns, acquires and leases mission-critical communications assets, such as fiber optics, cell towers, data centers and consumer broadband. UNIT has a 14.62 percent yield.

NuStar Energy (NS-$34.78) engages in the terminaling, storage and marketing of petroleum products. NS yields 12.7 percent. NS also provides pilotage, tug assistance, line hauling and emergency response.

Arlington Asset Investment (AI-$11.37) acquires mortgages and related assets issued by the U.S. government or guaranteed as to principal and interest. AI does this with leverage and yields 18.54 percent. You may need a lot of help on this one.

KCAP Financial (KCAP-$3.38) is a business development company specializing in debt securities. It acquires complementary businesses in the insurance, food, health care, defense and aerospace industries. KCAP yields 11.8 percent.

Navios Maritime Acquisition (NNA-$0.90) yields 22 percent, charters vessels to other companies, provides marine transportation services worldwide and owns a fleet of 36 double-hulled tankers. You’ll need even more help from the Big Guy on this one.

Black Box Corp. (BBOX-$3.80) yields 12.15 percent. This high-tech company provides digital technology solutions that help clients design, build and manage their IT infrastructure. BBOX offers specialty networking multimedia and KVM (keyboard, video and mouse) switches.

Orchid Island Capital (ORC-$8.45) yields 16.26 percent and invests in residential mortgage-backed securities, including traditional pass-through agency paper, structured agency securities and collateralized mortgage obligations.

Washington Prime Group (WPG-$6.75) yields 14.66 percent and is engaged in the ownership, management and development of retail properties.

The Duff & Phelps Select Energy MLP Fund (DSE-$6.87) yields 13.83 percent and invests at least 80 percent of its assets in select energy master limited partnerships. DSE offers exposure to the ongoing energy renaissance and the reshaping of the U.S. energy economy.

The Fiduciary/Claymore MLP Opportunity Fund (FMO-$11.77) pays a 14.67 percent dividend. This exchange-traded fund owns selected MLPs that management feels could have a positive impact on the economy.

Invest about $4,000 in each issue. Use a discount broker and the maximum commission would be $4.95 per issue.

In fact, your total commission would be under $50 at one of the big discounters, such as Charles Schwab or Fidelity.

And by December, we’ll know whether Ashley Madison has gotten her groove back.

————————

Please address your financial questions to Malcolm Berko, P.O. Box 8303, Largo, FL 33775, or email him at mjberko@yahoo.com. To find out more about Malcolm Berko and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

©2018 Creators.com