Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX), Newmont Mining Corp (NEM): One Great Dividend You Can Buy Right Now

Source: Nasdaq.com. Includes all supplemental dividends.
*Assumes $0.3125 quarterly payout for remainder of 2013.

As you can see, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE:FCX)’s payouts can be a bit “lumpy.” You might think this is bad news, but if you’re long-term investor there really aren’t any worries. This means that even if we include 2009, in which Freeport suspended its dividend, the company paid back more than $17 per share in cumulative dividends to investors between 2004 and 2013 (assuming it doesn’t divvy out another supplemental dividend this year). Those dividends helped propel gains since 2004 for shareholders to more than 120%!

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Mining stocks might not be the traditional go-to stocks when it comes to dividend income, but with Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE:FCX)’s wide diversity and forecast for nearly $6 billion in operating cash flow, I see no reason a stock like this can’t fuel an income investor’s need for cash. This year alone, thanks to its $1 supplemental dividend, Freeport will yield 7.1% to shareholders. With a focus on diversifying its assets and returning capital to shareholders, Freeport is a name investors can trust to deliver over the long run.

The article 1 Great Dividend You Can Buy Right Now originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Sean Williams owns shares of Thompson Creek Metals but has no material interest in any other companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool owns shares of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold. 

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