Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now

The most frequent question I receive from new investors is, "How do I get started?" when looking to build an income-focused portfolio.

Here's a look at some of our favorite stocks from among the 25 that are featured in our model portfolio; they offer high-yield income and value at their prevailing prices.

McDonald's (MCD)

McDonald's was the first investment in our High Yield Wealth portfolio. I still like McDonald's to this day, not the least for its formidable brand.

Strong brands impart a deep economic moat and strong customer loyalty, which produces consistent revenue and earnings growth. And most important to income investors, it fosters consistent dividends, which have been raised every year since 1976.� This makes McDonald's a premier dividend-growth company.

I still see McDonald's stock as a value play. It's trading at a reasonable 16 multiple to expected 2013 EPS of $6.00. Plus it yields a market-beating 3%. And remember that as the dividend payout climbs, so too climbs the yield and the share price.

Top Shipping Stocks To Watch Right Now: Macquarie Infrastructure Company LLC (MIC)

Macquarie Infrastructure Company LLC (MIC) owns, operates and invests in a diversified group of infrastructure businesses that provide basic services, such as chilled water for building cooling and gas utility services to businesses and individuals primarily in the United States. The businesses it owns and operates include individual segments with three of them grouped as the Energy-Related Businesses. Macquarie Infrastructure Management (USA) Inc. (MIMUSA), which is its Manager, is part of the Macquarie Group, consisting of Macquarie Group Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. On August 31, 2011, Atlantic Aviation acquired the assets of the FBOs at the Portland International and Eugene airports in Oregon (together referred to as Flightcraft).

The Energy-Related Businesses include a 50% interest in a bulk liquid storage terminal business (International Matex Tank Terminals (IMTT)), that provides bulk liquid storage and handling services at ten marine terminals in the United States and two in Canada and is a participant in this industry in the United States, based on storage capacity; a gas processing and distribution business (The Gas Company), that is the only full-service gas energy company in Hawaii, and a 50.01% controlling interest in a district energy business (District Energy), which operates a district cooling system in the United States, serving various customers in Chicago, Illinois and Las Vegas, Nevada. Atlantic Aviation is an airport services business providing products and services, including fuel and aircraft hangaring/parking, to owners and operators of general aviation aircraft at 65 airports in the United States.

Energy-Related Businesses

MIC owns 50% of IMTT. The remaining 50% is owned by a trust for the benefit of members of the founding family. IMTT stores and handles petroleum products, various chemicals, renewable fuels and vegetable and animal oils. IMTT is an independent provider of bulk liquid storage terminal services i! n the United States, based on capacity. IMTT also owns OMI Environmental Solutions (Oil Mop), which is an environmental emergency responses, industrial services, waste transportation and disposal business. Oil Mop has a network of facilities along the United States Gulf Coast between Houston and New Orleans. These facilities primarily service the Gulf region, but also respond to spill events and provides services as needed throughout the United States and internationally. The 16 million barrel storage terminal at Bayonne, New Jersey has the most storage capacity of any IMTT site.

NYH serves as the main petroleum trading hub in the northeast United States and the physical delivery point for the gasoline and heating oil futures contracts traded on New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). In addition to waterborne shipments, products reach NYH through petroleum product pipelines from the United States Gulf region and elsewhere. NYH also serves as the starting point for refined product pipelines linked to inland markets and as a key port for refined petroleum product exports. IMTT-Bayonne has connections to the Colonial, Buckeye and Harbor refined petroleum product pipelines, as well as rail and road connections. As of December 31, 2011, on the lower Mississippi River, IMTT operated four terminals (St. Rose, Gretna, Avondale and Geismar). With combined storage capacity of 18.9 million barrels, the four sites give IMTT substantial market share in storage for black oil, bulk liquid chemicals, and vegetable oils on the lower Mississippi River.

The Gas Company is Hawaii�� only government franchised full-service gas company, manufacturing and distributing gas products and services in Hawaii. The market includes Hawaii�� approximately 1.4 million residents and approximately 7.3 million visitors, during the year ended December 31, 2011. The Gas Company manufactures synthetic natural gas (SNG) for its utility customers on Oahu, and distributes Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to utility and ! non-utili! ty customers throughout the state�� six primary islands. The Gas Company has two primary businesses, utility (or regulated) and non-utility (or unregulated). The utility business serves approximately 35,300 customers through localized pipeline distribution systems located on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai. Over 90% of these customers are on Oahu. The utility business includes the manufacture, distribution and sale of SNG on the island of Oahu and distribution and sale of LPG. Utility revenue consists principally of sales of SNG and LPG.

The non-utility business sells and distributes LPG to approximately 33,400 customers. LPG is delivered by truck to individual tanks located on customer sites on Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai. Non-utility revenue is generated primarily from the sale of LPG delivered to customers. SNG and LPG have a number of commercial and residential applications, including water heating, drying, cooking, emergency power generation and decorative lighting, such as tiki torches. LPG is also used as a fuel for specialty vehicles, such as forklifts. Gas customers include residential customers and a range of commercial, hospitality, military, public sector and wholesale customers. SNG is delivered by underground piping systems to customers on Oahu. LPG is transported in cylinders or tanks.

District Energy operates district cooling system in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the system served approximately 100 customers in downtown Chicago and one customer outside the downtown area under long-term contracts. District Energy produces chilled water at five plants located in downtown Chicago and distributes it through a closed loop of underground piping for use in the air conditioning systems of large commercial, retail and residential buildings in the central business district. District Energy also owns a site-specific heating and cooling plant that serves a single customer in Chicago outside the downtown area. Th! is plant ! has the capacity to produce 4,900 tons of cooling and 58 million British Thermal Units of heating per hour. District Energy�� Las Vegas operation owns and operates a stand-alone facility that provides cold and hot water (for chilling and heating, respectively) to three customers in Las Vegas, Nevada. These customers consist of a resort and casino, a condominium.

Aviation-Related Business

Atlantic Aviation operates FBOs at 65 airports in the United States. Atlantic Aviation�� FBOs provide fueling and fuel-related services, aircraft parking and hangar services to owners/operators of jet aircraft, primarily in the general aviation sector of the air transportation industry, but also commercial, military, freight and government aviation customers. Other services include de-icing, aircraft parking, hangar rental and catering. Fuel is stored in fuel tank farms and each FBO operates refueling vehicles owned or leased by the FBO. The FBO either owns or has access to the fuel storage tanks to support its fueling activities. At some of Atlantic Aviation�� locations, services are also provided to commercial carriers. These may include refueling from the carrier�� own fuel supplies stored in the carrier�� fuel farm, de-icing and/or ground and ramp handling services.

The Company competes with Bahamas Oil Refining Company International Limited; Buckeye Partners, L.P.; Enterprise Products Partners L.P.; Houston Fuel Oil Terminal Company; Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P.; Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.; NuStar Energy L.P.; Oiltanking Partners, L.P.; Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.; Royal Vopak N.V.; Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P.; TransMontaigne Partners L.P.; Vitol Holding B.V.; Westway Group, Inc.; Alinda Capital Partners LLC; ArcLight Capital Partners; Challenger Infrastructure Fund; First Reserve Corporation, Global Infrastructure Partners, Signature Flight Support, Landmark Aviation and Million Air.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  This industry declined 1.76% by 11:00 am, with Macquarie Infrastructure Company LLC (NYSE: MIC) moving down 2.1%. Macquarie Infrastructure priced 1.3 million shares at $70.88 per share.

• [By Eddie Staley]

  Macquarie Infrastructure Company LLC (NYSE: MIC) shares shot up 11.59 percent to $68.26 after the company agreed to acquire the remaining 50% of International-Matex Tank Terminals for $910 million in cash and $115 million in newly issued stock. It also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.9375 to $0.95 per share.

• [By Steve Sears]

  New stocks in what Goldman calls the “Hedge Fund VIP list,”�include Actavis (ACT), Baidu (BIDU), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Crown Castle International (CCI), Entergy Louisiana (ELB), �Equinix (EQIX), Facebook (FB), Fleetcor Technologies (FLT), W.R. Grace (GRA), MetLife (MET), Macquarie Infrastructure (MIC), Micron (MU), Time Warner Cable (TWC), and Time Warner (TWX).

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Macquarie Infrastructure (NYSE: MIC  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now: Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited(AOSL)

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited engages in the design, development, and supply of a range of power semiconductors worldwide. The company offers power discrete product line comprising trench MOSFETs, electrostatic discharge, protected MOSFETs, and SRFETs; and power ICs. Its products are used in notebooks, netbooks, flat panel displays, mobile phone battery packs, set-top boxes, portable media players, and power supplies. The company sells its products to distributors. Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  This split among industry segments has created some value opportunities as those companies with high exposure to PCs are very cheap. And while the move towards smart phones and tablets may continue, the PC is not dead — demand will pick up along with the economy.

  Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (AOSL)

  Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (AOSL) is a designer, developer and global supplier of a broad portfolio of power semiconductors. The portfolio of power semiconductors includes more than 1,400 products, and has grown rapidly with 195 new products introduced last year alone. Its semiconductors are used in a wide range of products, including things like personal computers, flat panel TVs, LED lighting, smart phones, and telecommunications equipment.

Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now: Harmonic Inc.(HLIT)

Harmonic Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells video infrastructure products and system solutions to create, prepare, and deliver a range of video services for television and media platforms in the united States and internationally. Its products include video production platforms and playout solutions, such as video servers used by broadcasters, content owners, and multi-channel network operators to create and play-to-air television channels; video-optimized storage, which provides storage capacity and access bandwidth to support media production applications comprising video editing, content transformation, and media library management; and media applications that provide media integrated management and workflow control over content stored on its systems. The company offers video processing products, including broadcast encoders; contribution and distribution encoders; stream processing and statistical multiplexing solutions; content preparation and delivery for multi-scr een applications; decoders and descramblers; and management and control software. It also provides edge products that integrate routing, multiplexing, scrambling, and modulation into a single package; optical transmitters and amplifiers, which operates at various optical wavelengths and serves long-haul and local transport applications in the cable distribution network; optical nodes to supports network architectures for bandwidth delivered to a service area; and return path transmitters that support two-way transmission capabilities for analog or digital transport. In addition, the company offers technical support and professional services, such as maintenance and support; and consulting, implementation, and integration services. Harmonic Inc. sells its products through direct sales force, independent distributors, and integrators to cable, satellite and telco, and broadcast and media companies. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Shares of Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) were down 8.91 percent to $6.50 after the company lowered its Q2 forecast and issued a weak Q3 guidance.

  Riverbed Technology (NASDAQ: RVBD) shares tumbled 5.85 percent to $19.16 after the company lowered its Q2 revenue forecast.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Harmonic (HLIT) designs, manufactures and sells versatile and hig-performance video products and system solutions that enable service providers to efficiently deliver the next generation of broadcast and on-demand services. This stock closed up 1.8% to $7.81 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $7.61-$7.85
  
  52-Week Range: $3.96-$8.04
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 656,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 777,544

  From a technical perspective, HLIT bounced modestly higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $7.51 with decent upside volume. This stock has been uptrending a bit for the last month, with shares moving higher from its low of $7.10 to its intraday high of $7.85. During that move, shares of HLIT have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move is now pushing shares of HLIT within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if HLIT manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $8 to its 52-week high at $8.04 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in HLIT as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $7.51 or above more support at $7, and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 777,544 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then HLIT will set up to enter new 52-week high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $9.50 to $10.50.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) is a top small cap name to buy at Oppenheimer. Revenue in the second quarter totaled $117.1 million, and bookings were $126.3 million. Non-GAAP net income was $5.6 million, or $0.05 per share. That bottom-line result is a welcome improvement compared to the adjusted net loss of $0.02 per share a year ago. The stock was up as much as 16% after earnings, and it may be a top name to own for the rest of the year. The consensus price target for the stock is $7.

• [By David Goodloe]

  Ross sold all 248,058 of his shares in Harmonic Inc (HLIT), a California-based company that develops and markets video routing, server and storage products for companies that produce, process and distribute video content for television and the Internet. The shares were sold for an average price of $6.46, and the sale had a -0.14% impact on his portfolio.

Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now: Telecom Italia S.P.A.(TI)

Telecom Italia S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides fixed-line and mobile telecommunications, Internet, and media services. The company also operates in office and system solutions. Its portfolio ranges from consumer-focused convergent communications services to business-oriented advanced ICT solutions. The company?s integrated range of offerings, proprietary platforms, and network architecture leverage the potential of fixed-line and mobile broadband to offer convergent solutions for communication, Web surfing, always-in-touch services, and serve as a gateway to the digital world from the home, the office, and on the move, from fixed-line telephone, cell phone, PC, or TV. Its business portfolio covers various categories of business needs, from freelance professionals to SMEs, corporations, institutions, and public government bodies. The company?s Web offerings combine Italy?s Virgilio portal with Web 2.0 ventures, such as Yalp!, a TV community where users p ublish their own content and create their own TV channels. Its media operations span traditional broadcasting over analogue and digital networks, and mobile broadcasting through TIM/MTV partnership vehicle, MTV Mobile. The company has operations in Italy, Latin America, Germany, Holland, and the Mediterranean basin. As of December 31, 2009, it provided fixed telecommunications services with approximately 16.1 million physical accesses in Italy. The company?s wholesale customer portfolio consisted of approximately 6.2 million accesses for telephone services; and broadband portfolio had approximately 8.7 million accesses in Italy, as well as 30.8 million mobile telephone lines. Telecom Italia was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By DAILYFINANCE]

  Steven Senne/AP NEW YORK -- Target (TGT) massive data breach over the holidays helped push its fourth-quarter profit down 46 percent. The discount retailer also said Wednesday that sales fell 5.3 percent as the breach scared off customers. The nation's second-largest discounter also offered a profit outlook below Wall Street expectations as the costs of the breach that affected millions of credit and debit card customers linger. The discounter, based in Minneapolis, said it earned $520 million, or 81 cents a share, for the three months that ended Feb. 1. That compares with a profit of $961 million, or $1.47 a share a year earlier. Revenue fell to $21.5 billion from $22.7 billion. Revenue at stores open at least a year, an important retail measurement, fell 2.5 percent. Analysts had expected a profit of 80 cents on revenue of 21.5 billion, according to FactSet estimates. The breach resulted in $17 million of net expenses in the fourth quarter, Target said, with $61 million of total expenses partially offset by the recognition of a $44 million insurance receivable. Shares of Target rose 99 cents to $57.50 in premarket trading Wednesday as earnings results beat Wall Street estimates by a penny. The stock has fallen about 10 percent since the company disclosed the breach in mid-December. "As we plan for the new fiscal year, we will continue to work tirelessly to win back the confidence of our guests. We are encouraged that sales trends have improved in recent weeks," Gregg Steinhafel, chairman, president and CEO of Target, said in a statement. The results underscore the big challenges that Steinhafel faces. Even before the breach, Target has struggled with uneven sales since the recession as its middle-income shoppers are still not comfortable in spending. And the company has also grappled with the perception that its prices are too high. Critics also say that the discounter, known for its exclusive limited partnerships with designers, has lost its

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Telecom Italia SpA (NYSE: TI) was raised to Neutral from Underperform at J.P. Morgan.

  Xilinx Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) was raised to Outperform from Sector Perform with a $55 price target (versus $a 46.54 close) at Pacific Crest.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) was started as Buy at Goldman Sachs, just a day after J.P. Morgan raised it to Neutral from Underperform.

  Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UA) was raised to Neutral from Underweight at J.P. Morgan.

Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now: Bank of Ozarks Inc (OZRK)

Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. is a bank holding company. The Company owns an Arkansas state chartered subsidiary bank, Bank of the Ozarks (the Bank). At December 31, 2011, the Company, through the Bank, conducted banking operations through 111 offices, including 66 offices in Arkansas, 27 in Georgia, 10 in Texas, four in Florida, two in North Carolina, and one each in South Carolina and Alabama. Subsequent to December 31, 2011, the Company opened its 11th and 12th Texas offices in Austin and The Colony. The Company also owns Ozark Capital Statutory Trust II, Ozark Capital Statutory Trust III, Ozark Capital Statutory Trust IV and Ozark Capital Statutory Trust V, all 100%-owned finance subsidiary business trusts formed in connection with the issuance of certain subordinated debentures and related trust preferred securities, and, indirectly through the Bank, a subsidiary engaged in the development of real estate, a subsidiary that owns a private aircraft and various other entities that hold foreclosed assets or tax credits or engage in other activities. Effective July 31, 2013, Bank of the Ozarks Inc acquired the entire interest of The First National Bank of Shelby.

The Company provides a range of retail and commercial banking services. Deposit services include checking, savings, money market, time deposit and individual retirement accounts. Loan services include various types of real estate, consumer, commercial, industrial and agricultural loans and various leasing services. The Company also provides mortgage lending; treasury management services for businesses, individuals and non-profit and governmental entities, including wholesale lock box services; remote deposit capture services; trust and wealth management services for businesses, individuals and non-profit and governmental entities, including financial planning, money management, custodial services and corporate trust services; real estate appraisals; credit-related life and disability insurance; automated teller machines (ATMs); telep! hone banking; online and mobile banking services, including electronic bill pay; debit cards, gift cards and safe deposit boxes, among other products and services. Through third party providers, the Company offers credit cards for consumers and businesses, processing of merchant debit and credit card transactions, and full service investment brokerage services.

On January 14, 2011, the Company, through the Bank, entered into a purchase and assumption agreement, pursuant to which the Bank acquired the former Oglethorpe Bank (Oglethorpe) with two offices in Georgia, including Brunswick and St. Simons Island. On April 29, 2011, the Company, through the Bank, entered into a purchase and assumption agreement, pursuant to which the Bank acquired the former First Choice Community Bank (First Choice) with seven offices in Georgia, including Dallas, Newnan (2), Senoia, Sharpsburg, Douglasville and Carrollton. On July 1, 2011, the Company closed one of the offices in Newnan, Georgia, and on October 26, 2011 the Company closed the office in Carrollton, Georgia.

Lending and Leasing Activities

The Company�� primary source of income is interest earned from its loan and lease portfolio and its investment securities portfolio. The Company�� portfolio of real estate loans includes loans secured by residential one- to four-family, non-farm/non-residential, agricultural, construction/land development, multifamily residential (five or more family) properties and other land loans. Non-farm/non-residential loans include those secured by real estate mortgages on owner-occupied commercial buildings of various types, leased commercial, retail and office buildings, hospitals, nursing and other medical facilities, hotels and motels, and other business and industrial properties. Agricultural real estate loans include loans secured by farmland and related improvements, including some loans guaranteed by the Farm Service Agency. Real estate construction/land development loans include loa! ns secure! d by vacant land, loans to finance land development or construction of industrial, commercial, residential or farm buildings or additions or alterations to existing structures. Included in the Company�� residential one- to four-family loans are home equity lines of credit.

The Company offers a variety of real estate loan products that are generally amortized over five to thirty years. The Company�� portfolio of consumer loans generally includes loans to individuals for household, family and other personal expenditures. The Company�� commercial and industrial loan portfolio consists of loans for commercial, industrial and professional purposes, including loans to fund working capital requirements (such as inventory, floor plan and receivables financing), purchases of machinery and equipment and other purposes. The Company offers a variety of commercial and industrial loan arrangements, including term loans, balloon loans and lines of credit with the purpose and collateral supporting a particular loan determining its structure. These loans are offered to businesses and professionals for short and medium terms on both a collateralized and uncollateralized basis. The Company obtains as collateral a lien on furniture, fixtures, equipment, inventory, receivables or other assets. The Company�� leases are primarily equipment leases for commercial, industrial and professional purposes, have terms generally ranging up to 48 months and are collateralized by a lien on the lessee�� interest in the leased property.

The Company�� portfolio of agricultural (non-real estate) loans includes loans for financing agricultural production, including loans to businesses or individuals engaged in the production of timber, poultry, livestock or crops. The Company�� agricultural (non-real estate) loans are generally secured by farm machinery, livestock, crops, vehicles or other agricultural-related collateral. A portion of the Company�� portfolio of agricultural (non-real estate) loans ! consists ! of loans to individuals which would normally be characterized as consumer loans but for the fact that the individual borrowers are primarily engaged in the production of timber, poultry, livestock or crops.

Deposits

The Company offers an array of deposit products consisting of non-interest bearing checking accounts, interest bearing transaction accounts, business sweep accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, time deposits and individual retirement accounts. The Company acts as depository for a number of state and local Governments and Government agencies or instrumentalities. The Company�� deposits come primarily from within the Company�� trade area. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had $41 million in brokered deposits.

Other Banking Services

The Company offers an array of residential mortgage products, including long-term fixed and variable rate loans to be sold on a servicing-released basis in the secondary market. The Company originates residential mortgage loans to be resold on the secondary market primarily through its banking offices located in Arkansas��markets, many of its Texas banking offices and in certain of its acquired offices in the Southeastern United States. The Company offers a range of trust and wealth management services from its headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, with additional staff in Rogers, Arkansas. These trust and wealth management services include personal trusts, custodial accounts, investment management accounts, retirement accounts, corporate trust services, including trustee, paying agent and registered transfer agent services, and other incidental services. As of December 31, 2011, total trust assets were approximately $1.02 billion.

The Company offers treasury management products which are designed to provide specialized support to the treasury operations of business and public funds customers. The Company�� treasury management services include automated clearing house serv! ices (dir! ect deposit, direct payment and electronic cash concentration and disbursement), wire transfer, zero balance accounts, current and prior day transaction reporting, lock box services, remote deposit capture services, automated credit line transfer, investment sweep accounts, reconciliation services, positive pay services, credit line analysis and account analysis. It offers an online banking service for both business customers and consumers. Through this service customers can access their account information, pay bills, transfer funds, view images of cancelled checks, reorder checks, buy the United States Savings Bonds, change addresses, issue stop payment requests, receive detailed statements and handle other banking business electronically. The Company also provides businesses and consumers the option to electronically receive monthly bank statements and provides a 13-month archive of monthly statements and cancelled check images.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Bank of the Ozarks (NASDAQ: OZRK) is estimated to post its Q3 earnings at $0.39 per share.

  Synergetics USA (NASDAQ: SURG) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.03 per share on revenue of $17.32 million.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Bank of the Ozarks (NASDAQ: OZRK  ) is rewarding its shareholders by paying a higher dividend. The company has declared a common stock dividend of $0.19 per share, to be handed out on July 19 to shareholders of record as of July 12. That amount is $0.02, or 12%, higher than the company's previous disbursement of $0.17 per share, which was paid in mid-April.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Yet another bank, Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) raised its dividend 4.5% to 23 cents per share, payable April 18 to shareholders of record as of April 11.
  OZRK Dividend Yield: 1.37%

Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now: Alliance Capital Management Holding L.P. (AB)

AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. provides investment management and related services in the United States and internationally. It offers institutional services, including separately-managed accounts, sub-advisory relationships, structured products, collective investment trusts, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other investment vehicles to unaffiliated corporate and public employee pension funds, endowment funds, domestic and foreign institutions, and governments. The company also provides retail services comprising retail mutual funds, sub-advisory relationships with mutual funds sponsored by third parties, and separately managed account programs sponsored by various financial intermediaries and other investment vehicles. In addition, it provides separately managed accounts, hedge funds, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles for private clients, including high-net-worth individuals, trusts and estates, charitable foundations, partnerships, and private and family corporat ions. Further, AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. offers research services to institutional investors through research, portfolio analysis, and brokerage-related services; and equity capital markets services to issuers of publicly-traded securities. Additionally, it provides distribution, shareholder servicing, and administrative services to its sponsored mutual funds. AllianceBernstein Corporation serves as the general partner of the company. AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. was founded in 1987 and is based in New York, New York. AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. operates as a subsidiary of AXA.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By J. Royden Ward]

  AllianceBernstein LP (AB), a master limited partnership, is one of the largest US investment advisors. It actively manages stock and bond accounts for institutions, mutual funds, and well-heeled clients.