In this segment of the Motley Fool Money podcast, host Chris Hill asks Million Dollar Portfolio's Jason Moser, Jim Mueller of Stock Advisor and Motley Fool Options, and Total Income's Ron Gross about the companies they're most intrigued by this week, and why: energy sector player Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP 1.61%); social-media stalwart Twitter (TWTR); and exterminator company Rawlins (ROL 0.83%).
A full transcript follows the video.
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This video was recorded on Jan. 26, 2018.
Chris Hill: Time to get to the stocks on our radar. Our man behind the glass, Steve Broido, is going to hit you with a question. Ron Gross, you're up first, what do you have?
Ron Gross: I have Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, BIP, a favorite of both of our Hidden Gems newsletter analysts this month, which is rare. One of the world's largest owners and operators of energy, utilities, transport and communications infrastructure assets, what a mouthful that is. Proven ability to acquire high-quality businesses and operate them efficiently. They've been able to expand earnings, funds from operations, and their dividend over the years, and that dividend currently stands at 4.1%.
Hill: Steve, question about BIP?
Steve Broido: Where's that dividend going over the next 12 months?
Gross: [laughs] I would say somewhere in the low 4% range is probably where it'll stay.
Hill: Jason Moser, what are you looking at?
Jason Moser: A stock we have on hold in MDP right now, Twitter. Ticker is TWTR. I think there was a perception that 2018 was going to be a really tough one for Twitter because, the thinking was, Snapchat was going to get in there and steal a lot of their ad dollars. But, knowing what we know now, Snap's problems are far bigger than perhaps initially suspected. And I think we're seeing some budget dollars being diverted Twitter's way again. We'll be very interested to see if this is another positive quarter, so we can hopefully maybe take the stock off hold.
Hill: Steve, question about Twitter?
Broido: Has the character-limit change had any impact on this business that you can see?
Moser: Yeah, I was actually really encouraged by that. It seems they made that decision based on data. It creates more engagement. And for something like Twitter, engagement is key.
Hill: Jim Mueller, what are you looking at this week?
Jim Mueller: I'm looking at Rollins, ticker symbol ROL. It's a recommendation in Stock Advisor and I own shares myself. It gets rid of bugs and critters from where they're not supposed to be. Think termites, cockroaches, bed bugs, and bats in your belfry. Orkin is their big brand. That's the best-known brand basically in all of North America and possibly the world for getting rid of these things. They've grown revenue and net income year over a year for 47 straight quarters. They've raised their dividend by 12% or more for 16 straight years. And I just love their recurring revenue subscription model.
Hill: Steve?
Broido: Any bugs in the Mueller household we should be aware of?
Mueller: I can't stand the things. The bugs and I have an agreement: As soon as they come in, I kill them.
Gross: [laughs] Nice.
Hill: Three very different businesses. Steve, do you have one you want to add your watchlist?
Broido: I might take a look at Twitter.