Four Cheap Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now

#3 Energy Transfer Equity LP (NYSE:ETE)

 – Investors with Long Positions (as of December 31): 33

– Aggregate Value of Investors’ Holdings (as of December 31): $707.23 million

Energy Transfer Equity LP (NYSE:ETE) has lost over two-thirds of its market capitalization since the reverse one-for-two stock split in late-July. In spite of this negative momentum, the number of hedge funds covered by us with ownership in the company increased by six and the aggregate value of their holdings declined only marginally during the fourth quarter. The 40% drop that the stock has suffered this year has helped in further increasing its annual dividend yield to 14.25%. On March 12, Reuters reported that the company has held talks to sell its controlling stake in convenience store operator Sunoco (NYSE:SUN). However, on March 16, Energy Transfer Equity LP (NYSE:ETE) refuted those claims, saying that it has no such plans as of now. Despite the fact that the stock prices of both Williams Cos. (NYSE:WMB) and Energy Transfer Equity have plummeted since they announced their $32.6 billion merger last year, the former has issued a statement reiterating its commitment to close the deal.

#2 Vereit Inc (NYSE:VER)

– Investors with Long Positions (as of December 31): 35

– Aggregate Value of Investors’ Holdings (as of December 31): $1.33 billion

Once ‘the World’s largest net lease REIT’, Vereit Inc (NYSE:VER) lost that claim and its credibility when, in October 2014, a major accounting scandal broke out. Though it took a lot of steps in 2015, including appointing a new CEO and suspending its dividend on an interim basis, those were not enough to win back investors’ trust. During the last quarter of 2015, the ownership of the REIT among investors covered by us fell by nine and the aggregate value of their holdings fell by $151 million. The fourth quarter numbers that the company has released recently seems to suggest that it is in a recovery mode. This has led its shares to rally and they now trade up by around 7% year-to-date, while its dividend yield amounts to 6.46%. While the Adjusted Funds From Operations (AFFO) the company posted for the fourth quarter declined by 9% year-over-year to $0.20 per share, the AFFO for fiscal year 2015 was down by 7% from the previous fiscal year to $0.84 per share. In fiscal 2016, the REIT plans to dispose of assets worth between $800 million to $1 billion and expects AFFO to be in the range of $0.75 to $0.80 per share. Matthew Barrett‘s Glendon Capital Management increased its stake in the company by 6% to 6.09 million shares during the fourth quarter.