1 Dividend to Buy and 1 Dividend to Sell

The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series, in which consumer-goods editor and analyst Austin Smith and senior technology analyst Eric Bleeker discuss topics around the investing world.

As part of our ongoing series, Eric and Austin discuss a promising dividend payer to invest in and one to back away from. Eric takes one look at Nokia and says "Run away!" Despite the company's fat dividend, he thinks the writing is on the wall, citing its negative operating margins. History has shown us that this trend is nearly impossible to reverse, and the vicious cycle in the smartphone industry is expected to snuff any turnaround Nokia is planning.

Austin likes Staples. The company is looking very cheap, pays a great dividend, and is slowly grabbing more market share from rivals Office Depot and Office Max. Not only that, but its shift toward more store branded products should push its margins up over time.

As great as Staples' dividend is, it didn't qualify it for our list of 9 Rock-Solid Dividends. You can read about the companies that did though, and it won't cost you a thing -- just click here.

At the time thisarticle was published Austin Smith and Eric Bleeker have no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon.com, Microsoft, and Staples.Motley Fool newsletter services recommendAmazon.com, Microsoft, Nokia, and Staples. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

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