5 Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now

LONDON --�The last five years have been tough for those in retirement. Portfolio valuations have been hammered and annuity rates have plunged. There's no sign of things improving anytime soon, either, as the eurozone and the U.K. economy look set to muddle through at best for some years to come.

A great way of protecting yourself from the downturn, however, is by building your retirement fund with shares of large, well-run companies that should grow their earnings steadily over the coming decades. Over time, such investments ought to result in rising dividends and inflation-beating capital growth.

In this series, I'm tracking down the U.K. large-caps that have the potential to beat the FTSE 100 over the long term and support a lower-risk income-generating retirement fund (you can see the companies I've covered so far�on this page).

Today, I'm going to take a look at�Melrose Industries� (LSE: MRO  ) (NASDAQOTH: MLSPF  ) , an unusual company which specialises in turning around manufacturing businesses, before selling them on. Melrose's current portfolio of businesses contains German utility meter maker Elster, Brush Turbo Generators and Marelli Motori, which make electric motors and generators, and Bridon, which makes rope and wire products used in the oil and gas industry.

5 Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Kohlberg Capital Corporation(KCAP)

Kohlberg Capital Corporation is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in buyouts and mezzanine investments. It focuses on mature and middle market companies. The firm structures its investments through senior debt, second lien debt, secured and unsecured subordinated debt, mezzanine debt, and equity. It invests in all sectors except cyclical industries. The firm invests equity in both minority and control transactions alongside other equity investors. It invests through its own balance sheet. Kohlberg Capital Corporation is based in the New York, New York.

5 Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Verizon Communications Inc.(VZ)

Verizon Communications Inc. provides communication services. The company operates through two segments, Domestic Wireless and Wireline. The Domestic Wireless segment offers wireless voice and data services; and sells equipment in the United States. The Wireline segment provides voice, Internet access, broadband video and data, Internet protocol network, network access, long distance, and other services in the United States and internationally. The company serves consumer, business, and government customers, as well as carriers. As of December 31, 2010, its network covered a population of approximately 292 million and provided service to a customer base of approximately 94.1 million. The company was formerly known as Bell Atlantic Corporation and changed its name to Verizon Communications Inc. in June 2000. Verizon Communications Inc. was founded in 1983 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  With Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) facing a tough seasonal Q2, any bit of good news helps. Shares enjoyed early morning gains as No. 1 domestic carrier Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) Wireless reported strong iPhone activations. Big Red activated 3.9 million iPhones during the quarter, ahead of BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk's estimate of 3.5 million.

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Elsewhere on the Dow, Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) shares have slumped by 1.5%. America's leading wireless company needs to sell more than $23 billion worth of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) iPhones this year in order to break even with its contract demands with the tech company -- and with iPhone demand slowing, analysts have cautioned that Verizon could be on the hook for billions of dollars at the end of the year.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The common problem of telecom payouts
  Inevitably, when you look at payout ratios -- the amount a company pays out in dividends compared to its earnings -- two companies pop up with potential warning signs: Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) and AT&T (NYSE: T  ) . Verizon in particular looks the most problematic, with trailing dividends equal to five times stated trailing earnings, according to figures from Yahoo! Finance. AT&T weighs in at "only" 137% of net income paid out in dividends.

• [By Austin Smith]

  Austin Smith: I wanted to talk a little bit about the progress of Redbox Instant and your partnership with Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) . I'm wondering if you could maybe just elaborate on that, any progress you guys have going there, or what you're seeing as the early results?

Best Clean Energy Companies For 2014: PMC Commercial Trust(PCC)

PMC Commercial Trust operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). It primarily originates loans to small businesses, principally in the limited service hospitality industry, collateralized by first liens on the real estate of the related business. The company has elected to be treated as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code and would not be subject to federal income tax, provided it distributes approximately 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. PMC Commercial Trust was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

5 Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Potomac Electric Power Company(POM)

Pepco Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the transmission, distribution, and supply of electricity. The company also distributes and supplies natural gas. It distributes electricity to approximately 1.8 million customers in the mid-Atlantic region and delivers natural gas to approximately 123,000 customers in Delaware. In addition, the company involves in the retail supply of electricity and natural gas; provision of energy efficiency services to federal, state, and local government customers; and designs, constructs, and operates combined heat and power and central energy plants, as well as owns and operates two oil-fired generation facilities. Further, it offers high voltage electric construction and maintenance services, low voltage electric construction and maintenance services, and streetlight construction and asset management services to utilities, municipalities, and other customers in the Washington, District of Columbia. Additionally, the company holds investments in eight cross-border energy leases. Pepco Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1896 and is based in Washington, District of Columbia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  
  Highlight: Pepco Holdings Inc. (POM)

  The POM share price is currently $18.17 or 20.0% off the 52-week high of $22.72. Its yield is 5.90%.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Powering up
  It's pretty rare for stocks in the electric utility sector to see a prolonged dip given that electricity is a necessity product, but that's what we've seen from Mid-Atlantic electric utility provider Pepco Holdings (NYSE: POM  ) .

5 Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Pinnacle West Capital Corporation(PNW)

Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides retail and wholesale electric services primarily in the State of Arizona. The company involves in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity through coal, nuclear, gas and oil, and solar resources. It also offers energy-related products and services, such as energy master planning, energy use consultation and facility audits, cogeneration analysis and installation, and project management with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy to commercial and industrial retail customers in the western United States. In addition, the company owns minority interests in various energy-related investments and Arizona community-based ventures; and develops residential, commercial, and industrial real estate projects in Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, and Utah. As of December 31, 2010, it owned or leased approximately 6,290 mega watts of regulated generation capacity; and serviced approximately 1.1 million customers. Pinnacle West Capital Corporation was founded in 1920 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roger Conrad]

  Palo Verde is majority owned and operated by Arizona's Pinnacle West (PNW), itself a takeover target, though its larger size ($5.81 billion market capitalization), will likely require a bigger buyer.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Phoenix-based bank holding company Pinnacle West (PNW) raised its quarterly dividend 4% to 56.75 cents per share, payable on Dec. 2 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 1.
  PNW Dividend Yield:�3.91%

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Now don’t misunderstand. Gordon isn’t telling investors to avoid all regulated utilities. He has some favorites, including American Electric Power (AEP), Dominion Resources (D), ITC Holdings (ITC), Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Westar Energy (WR).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Iron Mountain has gained 2.6% to $26.55 at 3:05 p.m., making it the fourth-best performer in the S&P 500, ahead of WPX Energy (WPX), which has gained 2.4% to $19.94, Pinnacle West Capital (PNW), which has gained 2.3% to $53.55 and Dominion Resources (D), which has risen 2.1% to $59.85.