Dividends Are Rising: 3 Foreign Stocks Boosting Payouts

Core Viewpoint - The article emphasizes the potential of foreign dividend stocks as an attractive investment opportunity, especially in light of the underperformance of U.S. stocks in early 2025 compared to international counterparts [1][2]. Group 1: U.S. Stock Market Performance - The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) has shown disappointing results, ranking as the fifth worst among 41 country-specific ETFs as of March 10 [2]. - U.S. indexes are heavily weighted towards the tech sector, which constitutes 31% of the index [2]. Group 2: Foreign Dividend Stocks - Morningstar's analysis indicates that foreign dividend stocks provide geographic and sector diversification, with tech weightings around 8% or lower in two Morningstar dividend indexes that exclude U.S. stocks [3]. - This diversification can serve as a counterweight to the tech-heavy focus of U.S. stocks while also providing income [3]. Group 3: JD.com - JD.com has announced a 30% increase in its dividend, with a current dividend yield of 1.83% and an annual dividend of $0.74 [4][5]. - The company reported a revenue growth of over 13$3.6 billion on share buybacks in 2024 and has a new repurchase program authorized for up to $5 billion over the next 36 months [6]. Group 4: Brookfield Asset Management - Brookfield Asset Management has increased its quarterly dividend by 15$500 billion in fee-bearing capital [8]. Group 5: TotalEnergies - TotalEnergies plans to raise its dividend by over 7.6%, with a projected dividend yield of 5.8% [11][12]. - The company has consistently raised dividends by 7% or more for three consecutive years, with a total dividend for 2025 expected to be 3.28 euros per share [12].