Essentially, there are two ways to keep investors happy. One is share price appreciation, and the other dividend payments. Investors experienced the first with a powerful stock rally in the past year and half. Now, its time for dividends to play a part, writes Rachel Beck of the Associated Press.

When the meltdown occurred, companies pushed the fear button and hoarded cash, now amounting to $940 billion, Beck writes. Now that the economy is on firmer footing companies can let go of some of this pile of money. In the first quarter, 117 companies issued dividends, compared with only 78 a year ago, according to the AP.

"Between early November and mid-January, the normally staid municipal bond market plunged; and despite recovering off the lows, federally tax-exempt muni funds with an average credit quality of AA+ still carry yields of better than 6%," notes income expert Carla Pasternak.

The editor of High Yield Investing explains, "Launched in 1991, Nuveen Premier Insured Municipal Bond (NIF) is one of the longest-standing muni funds. It's managed by Nuveen, specialists in the muni area.

Verizon Communications (VZ), first discussed here on February 12, 2009, at a price of $29.86, continues to power higher, ascending to about $37 with a few hiccups, and I still like the shares here.

In 2011, slow growth and dividend play Verizon should post a 2% to 2.5% revenue gain, after flattish revenue in 2010, with data services being the key revenue increase driver. Meanwhile, Verizon's landline business continues to provide revenue stability.

ConAgra Foods (CAG) was trading higher at the time of this writing in reaction to an earnings report. Shares were up 1.8% to $23.35. Volume was active.

The stock has been in a very narrow range. The 52-week low is $21.02 while the 52-week high is $26.22. The one-year chart reflects the inability of the stock to break out to new levels. What should investors think about the company at this point now that some new numbers are out?

"Realty Income (O) is one of our favorite companies; they continue to grow their portfolio of properties which will ensure their dividend stream will grow for years to come," says Steve Christ.

The editor of Wealth Advisory explains, "The company recently announced its 54th consecutive quarterly increase and the 61st dividend increase since Realty Income went public in 1994.

"The company recently announced that it had signed definitive purchase agreements to acquire up to 33, single-tenant, retail, distribution, office and manufacturing properties under long-term, net-lease agreements for approximately $544 million.

U.S. Bancorp (USB) has approved a 150% increase in the dividend rate on U.S. Bancorp common stock to 50 cents on an annualized basis, or 12.5 cents on a quarterly basis. April and June option implied volatility of 30 is near its 26-week average of 29, according to Track Data, suggesting nondirectional price movement.

Wells Fargo (WFC) announced a special Q1 cash dividend on its common stock of 7 cents per share, together with the 5 cent per share dividend. April put option implied volatility is at 33, July is at 35, near its 26-week average of 34, according to Track Data, suggesting nondirectional price movement.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

"One of the best inflationary hedges of the 20th century is often forgotten -- timber," suggests Larry Spears.

The contributing editor to Money Morning explains, "In the modern era, inflation has never been a match for timber. On average, the price of harvested lumber itself has risen more than 5% annually over the past 100 years.

"Since 1910, the value of timberland as an investment has risen faster - and with less volatility - than stocks as measured by the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Here's a trio of stocks to benefit from this trend.

"As partnerships, MLPs pass through the majority of their income to investors in the form of regular distributions; the average MLP currently yields about 6 percent," observes eneergy sector expert Elliott Gue.

The editor of The Energy Strategist explains, "QR Energy LP (QRE) debuted as a publicly traded master limited partnership on Dec. 17, 2010.

"QR Energy owns upstream assets from which it produces oil and natural gas. Oil and natural gas liquids account for about 70 percent of the outfit's reserves (29.7 million barrels of oil equivalent) and production (5,184 barrels of oil equivalent per day).

Walmart (WMT) made an announcement yesterday after the bell that presumably would have excited Wall Street. The company's quarterly dividend was raised by 21%. Very nice. So why are the shares off today?

To be fair, they were in positive territory earlier in the morning. Unfortunately, as I write this, with roughly three hours to go before the conclusion of the session, they are down 0.5% to $51.74. Perhaps they will be in the green by the end of the day. When you think about it, though, a 21% jump in a metric that is supposed to be friendly to investors should have received a lot more respect, correct?

H.J. Heinz Company (HNZ), a food concern famous for its ketchup product and whose colleagues include ConAgra (CAG) and Campbell Soup (CPB), closed today's session higher by 1.4%. The final quote of $49.66 isn't far at all from the 52-week high of $50.77. Is the stock a buy?

You know, there's a very interesting element to this story, and it has to do with the dividend yield. Right now, Heinz's yield is 3.6%. That's pretty awesome. You've got take notice of a stock that is both near a 52-week high and possessive of a lofty yield.

What did you think of Home Depot's (HD) earnings report? I rather enjoyed it. And I think the future may be bright for the retailer and arch enemy of Lowe's (LOW).

According to TheStreet.com, net income calculated out to 36 cents per share for the fourth quarter. This was five pennies better than the overall estimate. Same-store sales experienced an increase of 3.9%. And management's forecast for the full fiscal year was upgraded.

The J.M. Smucker Company (SJM), a food concern in the same category as ConAgra Foods (CAG) and Kraft Foods (KFT), issued its fiscal third-quarter report on Thursday. The document wasn't too thrilling, but it shows that the business is holding its own in the competitive battlefield of the supermarket shelves.

Its adjusted profit of $1.27 per share came in ahead of the overall projection by one penny. Not bad, considering the article highlights the challenges of navigating a volatile environment in terms of ingredient costs.

Kraft Foods (KFT) didn't exactly report an exciting quarter. Nevertheless, it is the type of stock that many hold for the long term; it doesn't necessarily force one to put a lot of weight on any single three-month period. It's a story of brands, a thesis based on consumers and supermarket shelves. The future cash flows derived from these elements is what drives an investor to buy this company.

There's nothing wrong with keeping tabs on the business, though. According to the Associated Press, Kraft made, on an adjusted basis (the Cadbury purchase was involved in the adjustment process), 46 cents per share in the fourth quarter. This was a penny less than a year ago. The consensus estimate was for net income to come in at 46 cents per share. Yes, management failed to rise above the projection.

Two companies devoted to consumer products released earnings this week. One makes items used for cleaning, the other makes goods that you can actually eat.

We'll start with the cleaning-item concern. The Clorox Company (CLX), manufacturer of the iconic laundry bleach, issued results for its fiscal second quarter earlier today. At the time of this writing, shares were higher by 2.4% to a quote of $65.26. Volume was strong. The 52-week low for the stock is $59.07 and the 52-week high is $69. The one-year chart is, well ... not that great.