5 Best Dividend Stocks According to Billionaire Ray Dalio

2. New York Community Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: NYCB)

Value: $752,000
Percent of Ray Dalio’s 13F Portfolio: 0.001%
No. of Hedge Fund Holders: 25

New York Community Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: NYCB) is one of the major banks in the U.S. It ranks 2nd in the list of best dividend stocks to buy according to billionaire Ray Dalio.

Pauline Bell, a CFRA analyst, recently upgraded New York Community Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: NYCB) from a Hold to a Buy. She believes that the bank’s recent deal to acquire Flagstar Bancorp will allow NYCB to boost its funding profile and provide more revenue diversification. Bell believes that the move will also provide potential upside.

The merger should provide an opportunity for New York Community to strengthen its position to overcome loan growth headwinds. Flagstar Bancorp shareholders will receive 4.0151 NYCB shares for every FCB share they own as part of the merger deal.

New York Community reported a $332.07 million revenue in Q1, which represents a 27.0% gain YoY. Its GAAP EPS for the same period was $0.29, which was higher than the $0.27 analysts estimate.