February is the shortest month, but that doesn't mean income investors don't have much time to find great stocks. Three Motley Fool contributors believe they have identified fabulous dividend stocks to buy this month. Here's why they like AbbVie(NYSE: ABBV), Amgen(NASDAQ: AMGN), and Gilead Sciences(NASDAQ: GILD).
Keith Speights (AbbVie): AbbVie has been a longtime favorite for income investors. The big drugmaker's 52 consecutive years of dividend increases (including when it was part of Abbott) qualify it as a Dividend King. Its forward dividend yield is a juicy 3.4%.
For a while, though, AbbVie might not have been viewed as a fabulous pick by many investors. Humira, the company's top-selling drug for years, lost U.S. patent exclusivity in early 2023. As a result, revenue and profits began to sink.
However, it's a much different story today. Business is booming for Humira's two successors, Skyrizi and Rinvoq. The two drugs generated combined sales in 2024 that eclipsed Humira's peak annual sales. AbbVie projects they'll generate sales of over $31 billion in 2027.
The drugmaker has other important growth drivers, too. Qulipta and Ubrelvy especially stand out, with sales for the two migraine therapies skyrocketing 76% and 30% year over year, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2024.
AbbVie's pipeline also looks promising. The company has over 50 programs in mid- or late-stage clinical development. Tavapadon is one candidate to watch in the near term. It recently reported positive late-stage results for the drug in treating early Parkinson's disease.
Prosper Junior Bakiny (Amgen): What to do when a biotech's shares fall off a cliff following disappointing phase 2 clinical trial results? If the drugmaker's prospects are largely unaffected, it's a good opportunity to buy the stock.
That brings us to Amgen. In November, it reported mid-stage clinical trial results for MariTide, an investigational weight loss treatment, and the market responded by sending the stock down more than 12%.
Though Amgen has recouped much of that loss, the stock is still down over the trailing-12-month period. Long-term income seekers should take the opportunity to buy its shares since its prospects and dividend program remain robust.
The company's lineup features 13 products that generate over $1 billion in sales. Many of them are still growth drivers, including Repatha, to treat high cholesterol; postmenopausal osteoporosis treatment Evenity; and Tepezza, for thyroid eye disease.
Amgen has several other drugs that don't bring in $1 billion in annual sales yet but should soon, especially Tezspire, which treats asthma.
The drugmaker's pipeline is still pretty deep and features several dozen programs. Despite MariTide not quite living up to expectations in mid-stage clinical trials, it could still go on to become successful in the weight loss and obesity markets.
Lastly, Amgen has increased its payouts by 201% in the past decade and offers a forward yield of 3.3%, compared to the S&P 500's average of about 1.3%. It may have lagged the market over the past year, but the stock is still an excellent option for dividend seekers.
David Jagielski(Gilead Sciences): Biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences can make for a terrific dividend stock to buy and hold right now. It yields 3.2%, which is more than twice the S&P 500 average.
The company has also been growing its dividend. In five years, Gilead's quarterly payout has risen from $0.63 to $0.77 per share -- that's an increase of 22%. For investors, it can be crucial to find a company that is likely to increase its payouts because that can help offset the effects of inflation.
Gilead's business also generates plenty of free cash flow, which not only can support the current dividend but also pave the way for more increases to the payout in the future. In the trailing 12 months, the company has generated free cash flow totaling $9.4 billion -- far more than the $3.9 billion in dividends it paid out during that time frame.
Another reason dividend investors will love Gilead is for the stability the stock offers. It has a low beta value of around 0.20, which means that the stock generally doesn't move along with the market. But despite this, it has still made for an excellent investment, rising by more than 50% in the past five years.
Gilead has a robust business that centers around HIV drugs. But the company has also been pursuing growth opportunities in treating liver disease and cancer, which make this a much more diversified investment overall. It may not be a fast-growing pharma stock, but with solid fundamentals and a great dividend, it can be an ideal investment for income seekers to load up on today.
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David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Keith Speights has positions in AbbVie. Prosper Junior Bakiny has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AbbVie, Abbott Laboratories, and Gilead Sciences. The Motley Fool recommends Amgen. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
