These niche retailers offer solid yields

Article Excerpt

Here are two retailers that continue to pay investors regular dividends with above-average yields. Their leading positions in niche markets continue to spur their earnings, and that gives them more room to keep raising your dividends. NORTH WEST COMPANY $45 is a buy. This retailer (Toronto symbol NWC; High-Growth Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 47.6 million; Market cap: $2.1 billion; Dividend yield: 3.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.northwest.ca) sells food and everyday products and services at 227 stores, mainly in northern communities across Canada, as well as in Alaska, the South Pacific and the Caribbean. With the October 2023 payment, North West raised your quarterly dividend by 2.6%. Investors now receive $0.39 a share instead of $0.38. The annual rate of $1.56 yields 3.5%. In North West’s fiscal 2025 first quarter, ended April 30, 2024, overall sales rose 4.0%, to $617.5 million from $593.6 million a year earlier. Same-store sales rose 3.8% in the quarter, reflecting growth at its Canadian operations (up 4.7%) and international…