Dividend Stock News

The Chinese market is still hot. Here are two stocks with focuses on China that pay reasonable dividends:

Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund Inc. (yield = 6.5%)

Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. (the Fund) is a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company. The Fund’s investment objective is to seek current income. The Fund may also achieve incidental capital appreciation. It invests in Australian and Asian debt securities. The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in Asian debt securities, Australian debt securities and New Zealand debt securities. Asian countries include China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, and such other countries on the Asian continent approved for investment by the investment manager of the Fund. Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited serves as investment manager to the Fund. Aberdeen Asset Management Limited serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

Huaneng Power International, Inc.(yield = 3.56%)

Huaneng Power International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the generation and sale of electric power to the regional or provincial grid companies in the People’s Republic of China. Its principal activities are investment, construction, operation and management of power plants. As of December 31, 2006, it wholly owned 17 operating power plants and had controlling interests in 12 operating power plants and minority interests in five operating power companies. Its power plants are located in 12 of China’s provinces, including Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Gansu, Hunan, and in Shanghai and Chongqing Municipalities. Its electricity generation business covers the Northeast China Grid, the North China Grid, the Northwest China Grid, the East China Grid, the Central China Grid and the South China Grid. During the year ended December 31, 2006, its total power generation reached 159.9 billion kilowatt hours.

In the recent turmoil in the markets concerning credit risk and the housing market, it is surprising to hear a real estate increasing its dividend (maybe it just needs to get rid of cash before bankruptcy):

Winthrop Realty Trust announced that its board of trustees has approved an increase of the quarterly dividend payable on its common shares of beneficial interest to $.065 per share or $.26 per share on an annual basis. The increased dividend will be effective commencing with the dividend paid for the third quarter of 2007.

If only American Home Mortgage had done that before the stock tanked!

Here is one company’s excuse for halting their remaining 2007 dividend payments:

Paying a stock dividend results in a large transfer of retained earnings into common stock, as well as higher Nasdaq listing fees and one-time expenses, said Michael M. Magee, president and chief executive, in a release.

That is Independent Bank’s CEO.  The market reacted as one would expect:

Shares fell $1.15, or 9.6 percent, to $10.86 Friday after hitting a new year-low of $10.83 earlier in the session. Shares have been trading between $11.98 and $25.76 in the past 12 months.