We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Foreign Stocks With Dividends For Passive Income. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) stands against the other foreign stocks.
In August, S&P Global Market Intelligence reported that US dividends are set to grow around 5.1% by the close of 2024. In the United States, the energy sector dominated dividend contributions, with pharmaceuticals, financial services, and banks trailing behind. Looking beyond the US, we see similar growth trends in international markets. For example, S&P expects a 3.9% year-over-year recovery in dividends in Canada, resulting in $74.4 billion in dividend payouts for 2024. Interest rate cuts by the Bank of Canada will aid this rebound in dividends. Two-thirds of the overall Canadian dividend distributions are attributed to the financial and energy sectors.
By year-end 2024, European dividends are projected to grow 4.2% year-over-year to $531.5 billion, with the banking and insurance sectors leading the charge and counteracting the weakness in the European transportation, materials, and energy industries. In the Asia-Pacific region, dividend growth is also projected to be strong. Developed markets in the Asia-Pacific – Australia, Japan, Hong Kong SAR, New Zealand, South Korea, and Singapore – are expected to grow their dividends to $370.5 billion by the end of 2024, reflecting a 5.8% year-over-year increase. According to S&P Global, 2024 is the year that Japan will overtake Hong Kong SAR in terms of the highest dividend contributions in the developed Asia-Pacific market, with an expected growth rate of over 10% for the year.
Turning back to Canada, Ryan Bushell, president and portfolio manager at Newhaven Asset Management, joined BNN Bloomberg on February 4 and discussed the Canadian stock market outlook. He commented that the current hostility from the US should be a wake-up call for Canadian policymakers, noting that it is impractical to isolate the US but Canada should have alternative trading partners in case political tensions influence economic decisions. Bushell mentioned that having export options other than oil is crucial and that Canada should look into exporting natural gas and liquefied petroleum gases as well. In terms of investment strategies, the portfolio manager emphasized that sustainable and stable companies make for excellent long-term investments, regardless of who occupies the White House. This includes critical infrastructure companies, which cater to people’s needs rather than wants. He went on to recommend his top stock picks, which were companies with steady dividend policies, high yields, and 40-60% of their revenues coming from the US, to navigate the messy tariffs. Bushnell prefers Canadian energy stocks since these companies are seeking to export to more countries, which will result in higher gains.
Our Methodology
For this article, we used the Finviz stock screener to filter out dividend stocks listed on US exchanges but headquartered internationally. We focused on picking stocks with a consistent record of paying dividends, offering dividend growth, and being financially stable to steer clear of yield traps. The list below is ranked in the ascending order of Q3 2024 hedge fund sentiment, and dividend yields are mentioned as of February 3.
At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here)
A surgeon in a modern operating room holding advanced medical devices with a sense of purpose and accuracy.
Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT)
Dividend Yield as of February 3: 3.20%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 60
Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) is a manufacturer and seller of medical devices for healthcare systems, doctors, and patients worldwide. The company is focused on Cardiovascular, Neuroscience, and Medical Surgical device portfolios. It currently has over 190 active clinical trials, and more than 43,000 active patent matters, and it has allocated around $2.7 billion to R&D.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) reported revenue growth of 5%, which was 50 basis points above the company’s guidance. The earnings per share of $1.26 also exceeded the guidance, albeit slightly. The company’s robust financials were supported by double-digit growth in diabetes, high single-digit growth in neuroscience, and mid-single-digit growth in cardiovascular. MDT continues to prioritize dividends and share repurchases, as well as tuck in M&As. The company paid a $0.70 per share quarterly dividend on January 10. Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) is on its way to becoming a dividend king, having raised its dividends for 47 consecutive years.
On January 13, 2025, Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) announced that it had met the EU Medical Device Regulation standards and received the CE Mark approval in the EU and the UK for two deep brain stimulation devices for Parkinson’s patients. Medtronic is the market leader in deep brain stimulation (DBS) innovation, and the company is committed to improving neurological care.
Insider Monkey’s Q3 data shows that Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) was part of 60 hedge fund portfolios, compared to 52 in the last quarter. Jean-Marie Eveillard’s First Eagle Investment Management is the leading stakeholder of the company, with 9.7 million shares valued at nearly $879 million.
Overall MDT ranks 4th on our list of the best foreign stocks with dividends for passive income. While we acknowledge the potential of MDT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that certain AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MDT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.