Recently, the news has devolved from 'everyone should own dividend stocks' to 'watch out, dividend stocks are in a bubble.' For the astute investor, one must first ponder the question: 'is it even possible for a dividend stock bubble to exist?' Let's explore this question...
Where are the media experts saying high double digit P/Es on the leading dividend stocks are the 'new normal?' Oh, I guess the P/Es haven't quite reached ultra-high double digits.
Q: What happens when the price of dividend stocks skyrockets?
A: Yield (and income) plummets for new investments.
When a dividend stock's price disproportionately increases and its yield declines, new investors will shy away and current investors will consider selling. This self-correcting mechanism will keep dividend stocks out of bubble-land.
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Where's The Paradigm Shift?
Think back to the Tech. Bubble and the rhetoric being spewed before it busted. You heard things like 'it's the new-normal' and there has been a 'paradigm shift' when experts tried to explain why ultra-high double-digit P/Es shouldn't alarm investors.Where are the media experts saying high double digit P/Es on the leading dividend stocks are the 'new normal?' Oh, I guess the P/Es haven't quite reached ultra-high double digits.
Yield: The Ultimate Governor
Why do people buy dividend stocks (Hint: They are not looking for unbridled growth)? Of coarse, investors in dividend stocks are looking for income.Q: What happens when the price of dividend stocks skyrockets?
A: Yield (and income) plummets for new investments.
When a dividend stock's price disproportionately increases and its yield declines, new investors will shy away and current investors will consider selling. This self-correcting mechanism will keep dividend stocks out of bubble-land.
In Closing:
Finally, if there was a dividend stock bubble and it popped would that be a bad thing? For the dividend stocks you held when the bubble popped, the income must have been at a sufficient level, otherwise you would have sold them and purchased another stock. If you liked the stock at $x, you should really like it at $x-$y. Buy quality, and don't be afraid to hold it.Related Articles