The stock market recently logged its biggest one-day dip in over a year. Worries over the Federal Reserve's policies had investors on edge, with many choosing to sell rather than stick through the volatility. Dividend stocks have been hit particularly hard thanks to fears that they'll lose their draw once interest rates begin creeping up.
However, there's a much better investment strategy than trying to guess which asset class Wall Street will favor next: Stick with your plan and try to use swings in market sentiment to your advantage.
With that in mind, here are three promising dividend stocks that have gotten a lot cheaper lately.
Campbell Soup (CPB 5.18%)
This convenience-food company has been on a buying binge. Campbell spent $1.55 billion last year on Bolthouse Farms, and recently closed a few smaller deals, including one for Plum Organics, the No. 2 brand of organic baby food in the U.S. That aggressive acquisition strategy has given Campbell's sales a shot in the arm. Last quarter, for example, revenue jumped by 15% almost entirely thanks to new sales from the Bolthouse Farms brand.
CPB Revenue Quarterly YoY Growth data by YCharts.
And yet despite hitting its highest sales growth in over five years, Campbell's stock is trading more than 10% below its 52-week high. It is also yielding a hefty 2.7%.
Colgate-Palmolive (CL 1.66%)
Colgate's shares are trading well below the $62 high they hit just last month. The consumer goods company is heavily levered to international sales, with more than 80% of its business coming from outside the U.S. and more than half coming from emerging markets.
Yes, that leaves Colgate exposed to issues like the big currency devaluation in Venezuela. But it also means strong potential growth from a burgeoning middle class around the world. For example, the company saw its gross margin climb to an industry-leading 58.3% as each of its sales regions -- except for Latin America -- kicked in higher profits. Colgate is currently yielding about 2.3%.
Comcast (CMCSA +0.47%)
Comcast may be losing cable subscribers, but it is making up for those defections with solid growth in other areas of the business. Sure, the company shed 60,000 residential video customers last quarter. But that's actually much better than Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) managed. Time Warner saw a steeper dip in its video subscribers of 4.5%, or over 550,000 customers.
However, the fact that Comcast tacked on 433,000 high-speed Internet users helped it notch a 6.4% jump in total revenue. And the company's business services segment kept up its growth streak, closing its 12th consecutive quarter of growth in excess of 20%. Best of all, Comcast's shares trade for just 16 times trailing earnings. And thanks to the recent trading slump, the company's yield has crept up to just above 2%.
Foolish bottom line
While each of these stocks could get cheaper from here, there's just no telling how the market will react to any particular piece of economic news. That's why it makes no sense to try to outguess market moves.
Instead, continue hunting for great businesses that produce strong shareholder returns, no matter what the broader market is up to.
