SocGen Identifies The 40 Best Dividend Stocks In The World

In this worrisome global macro backdrop, many are pointing to dividend paying stocks as a way to generate income while waiting for capital gains.Societe Generale is out with its report of the top 40 dividend payers across the globe. The latest list includes stocks from UK, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Canada and Japan. European companies which have some of the biggest market caps among the group tend to pay dividends on an annual basis.  But the size of the European dividend payouts can be volatile.Note: SocGen ranks the companies based on blend of 2011 dividends as well as company-specific characteristics. Forecasts are a blend of a variety of consensus sources like Bloomberg, FactSet, and IBES. Data is derived from free float shares and one off special dividends have also been removed. Share prices used to determine the ranking are for January 23, 2012. AT&T announced that it was increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.44 for 2012Sector: Fixed line telecom (U.S.)2011 Yield: 5.6 percentAT&T pre-announces dividend payments and on Dec. 16, it announced that it was increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.44 for 2012, with payment due on Feb 1 2012. AT&T is currently yielding 5.9 percent and is the most important payer of dividends worldwide. Source: Societe GeneraleTelefonica is cutting its 2012 dividend payment targetSector: Fixed line telecom (Spain)2011 Yield: 12.0 percentTelefonica is cutting its 2012 dividend payment target of €1.75 to €1.50 because of tough regulatory environment and challenging business conditions.Source: Societe GeneraleExxon Mobil is expected to increase dividends in 2012Sector: Oil & gas producers (U.S.)2011 Yield: 2.1 percentWhen matched for previous patterns, ExxonMobil should pay $0.47 on or around March 8, 2012, and then increase dividend in the following three quarters. Consensus is for a full year dividend of $1.955, "or an unexciting net yield of 2.3%."Source: Societe GeneraleSee the rest of the story at Business InsiderPlease follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.See Also:CHART: Here's Why You Should Think Twice Before Becoming A Value InvestorSolar Storms And 13 Other Unusual Risks That Should Have You Freaking Out This YearUBS: Roche's $5.7 Billion Bid For Illumina Isn't High Enough

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