Cal-Maine Foods (NASDAQ: CALM - option chain) stock is trading slightly lower today after the company announced Q1 results this morning, posting a loss of 0.16 per share. Total losses for the egg farmer were $3.8M. CALM, which has had a 2% yield over the past year will skip paying a dividend this quarter because of the loss. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on CALM.

This morning, CALM opened at $25.60. So far today the stock has hit a high of $27.89 and a low of $24.90. As of 11:55, CALM is trading at $27.72, down 6 cents (-0.2%). The chart for CALM looks bearish.

Late Thursday, McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) announced a 10% increase to its cash dividend. The fast-food firm will now shell out 55 cents per share each quarter, bringing its total quarterly dividend payout to roughly $600 million. The increase will cost McDonald's about $220 million per year. This most recent dividend hike continues a long-term trend for Mickey D's, which has raised its quarterly payout every year since 1976.

In other MCD news, Bernstein initiated coverage of the stock with an "outperform" rating. The brokerage firm likes McDonald's because of its broad global footprint, with Bernstein noting that restaurants more heavily dependent on the sluggish U.S. market could struggle.

Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN - option chain) shares are rising today after the company announced it will lift its quarterly dividend by a penny to 12 cents per share. TXN has been growing its dividend steadily in recent years, which is a great sign for the company. Just a few years ago, Texas Instruments was paying about 2 cents per share quarterly. At the stock's current price, a $0.48 annual dividend represents a 2.0% yield. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on Texas Instruments.

TXN opened this morning at $23.79. So far today the stock has hit a low of $23.62 and a high of $24.00. As of 11:35, TXN is trading at $23.84 up 0.24 (1.0%). The chart for Texas Instruments looks neutral and S&P gives TXN a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK - option chain) stock is lower today after the company reported a second-quarter profit this morning of $176 million, or 15 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, BK earned 23 cents per share, missing analysts' estimates of 53 cents per share. BK also announced its quarterly dividend of 0.09 per share down 62% from the previous 0.24. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on BK.

This morning, BK opened at $27.55. So far today the stock has hit a low of $26.48 and a high of $27.67. As of 11:40, BK is trading at $26.89, down $2.22 (-7.6%). The chart for BK looks bullish and S&P gives BK a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY - option chain) stock is falling today after the company cut its quarterly dividend to 5 cents from 25 cents. In addition, Weyerhaeuser will defer timber harvest and close some facilities in order to contain costs. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on WY.

This morning, WY opened at $28.64. So far today the stock has hit a low of $28.51 and a high of $29.42. As of 10:40, WY is trading at $28.96, down $1.03 (-3.4%). The chart for WY looks neutral and S&P gives WY a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM - option chain) shares are rising today after the company boosted its quarterly dividend to 10 cents per share from 3 cents per share. PetSmart also announced it is planning a $350 million stock buyback. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on PETM.

PETM opened this morning at $21.11. So far today the stock has hit a low of $20.41 and a high of $21.19. As of 11:20, PETM is trading at $20.72 up 0.74 (3.7%). The chart for PETM looks bullish and S&P gives PETM a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY - option chain) stock is falling today after the company said it will reduce its quarterly dividend to 1 cent per share. The dividend had been at 7 cents per share. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on ELY.

This morning, ELY opened at $6.24. So far today the stock has hit a low of $6.10 and a high of $6.47. As of 12:25, ELY is trading at $6.26, down $1.02 (-14.1%). The chart for ELY looks bearish and S&P gives ELY a negative 2 STARS (out of 5) sell ranking.

Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) hasn't been a bad stock. Its recent performance is firmly in the green. Shares of Hormel have increased in value by 8% year-to-date. Over the last six months, the stock is up by roughly 16%.

Now we come to the food entity's second-quarter report, which was issued on Thursday. Do the numbers indicate that the stock will continue to trend higher? Or is now the time to sell?

Earlier this morning, BB&T (NYSE: BBT) announced that it will cut the size of its dividend as part of its plan to repay all stock and warrants that were invested in the company through TARP. BBT said that a 15-cent dividend will be paid on common stock in the third quarter -- 68% lower than the company's current 47-cent dividend.

BBT declare: "In addition to our current earnings, while superior to our peers, are not likely to justify our 47-cent dividend in the near term." The company said that the board decided to make the dividend cut thanks to "the risk and uncertainty associated with being a TARP participant." This reduced dividend will be paid on August 3 to shareholders of record as of July 10.

Oshkosh Corp. (NYSE: OSK - option chain) stock is falling sharply today after the company announced it will suspend its quarterly dividend in order to preserve cash. Previously, OSK was yielding somewhere in the neighborhood of 3% annually. Today, OSK also released an adjusted Q2 loss of 0.24 per share (16.02 unadjusted), which was well worse that the expected 0.15 loss. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on OSK.

This morning, OSK opened at $11.37. So far today the stock has hit a low of $10.01 and a high of $11.37. As of 11:35, OSK is trading at $10.18, down $2.06 (-16.8%). The chart for OSK looks neutral and S&P gives OSK a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Coach (NYSE: COH - option chain) shares are headed higher today after the company reported a third-quarter adjusted profit of 38 cents per share this morning, above analysts' estimates of 36 cents per share. However, the even bigger news is that the company announced it will begin paying a quarterly dividend of 7.5 cents per share on June 29. That is a pretty bold statement in this environment. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on COH.

COH opened this morning at $20.18. So far today the stock has hit a low of $20.76 and a high of $21.62. As of 11:20, COH is trading at $20.76, up 2.53 (13.9%). The chart for COH looks bullish and S&P gives COH a positive 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy ranking.

This morning, Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) announced what it terms a "very difficult decision." Wells Fargo decided to cut its quarterly dividend to 5 cents per share from 34 cents per share, saving $5 billion in the process. WFC also believes that the move will help the company reimburse the government for its recent investment in the firm.

WFC's CEO John Stumpf stated in a press release, "The actions we're taking every day ... are the right thing to do in any event for our shareholders, customers, and team members ... these actions will help us repay the government's investment at the earliest practical date."

The shares of PrivateBancorp (NASDAQ: PVTB) wasted no time in finding a fresh annual low this morning after the Chicago-based bank announced plans to slash its dividend by 87%. The quarterly payout will now be one penny per share, down from 7.5 cents per share. On the heels of this report, the stock quickly slipped to $9.65, marking its lowest price since September 2002.

"Given the current economic and regulatory environment, we felt this was a prudent step to take to further enhance our capital position and our liquidity," said President and CEO Larry D. Richman in a statement.

I've been doing a fair amount of chest puffing lately, as many of my moves suggested here and elsewhere have paid huge dividends for investors. Today, I want to highlight one of my mistakes: General Electric Company (NYSE: GE).

Someone is going to own one heck of an asset when this all shakes out. Unfortunately for GE shareholders, there is a very real risk that you will be on the outside looking in when all is said and done.

Each day the odds are growing that bondholders or the government will end up owning the equity in GE. Given the long-term future of the company, those two parties will be quite pleased.

After reaching a historic high in the mid-$30s in June 2007, CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) has seen its fortunes fall in a continuous slide. It's now trading for less than $5 per share.

After reporting reduced revenues for the fourth quarter of 2008, CBS is taking significant steps to conserve capital and strengthen its balance sheet.

The company reported a drop in revenue of 6%, which would have been even greater but for the contribution of recent acquisitions.

Television and radio ad sales were weak, and the Outdoor advertising unit had a 15% drop in revenue. While Outdoor was negatively impacted by foreign exchange rate changes as the U.S. dollar strengthened, excluding currency, revenues for this unit were still down a disappointing 8%.