3 High-Yield Stocks Dividend Investors Ignore at Their Peril

If you need income and want long-term growth, dividend stocks are the best investment vehicle for you. Finding high-quality companies with high dividend yields takes some effort, but companies that have demonstrated an ability to keep growing and rewarding their shareholders with rising payouts are worth the extra work it takes to find them. Mercury General (NYSE: MCY), Universal Corp. (NYSE: UVV), and Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) typically fly under the radar for most market participants, but their successful business models and stable dividend growth should entice income investors to look at them a lot more closely.

The market for personal insurance policies is huge and extremely competitive, with major national players and smaller regional companies fighting for market share. Mercury General started out by focusing largely on the California market by offering auto, homeowners, and renters insurance policies for consumers as well as certain lines of business insurance. Yet even though Mercury is the leading insurer of auto insurance in California, it has also been growing across the nation, with exposure to 10 other states including Texas, New York, and Florida.

Image source: Mercury Insurance.

Source: Fool.com