Visa, Ross Stores and Five Other Stocks Worth a Look Now

The stocks of the following dividend-paying companies are trading more than 20% higher than six months ago and all are within shouting distance of their 52-week highs. B&G Foods BGS: The New Jersey-based maker of shelf-stable foods, such as Cream of Wheat and Joan of Arc brands, recently completed the acquisition of Mrs. Dash, Baker's Joy and other brands from Unilever UL. The company has a $1.1 billion market cap, a dividend yield of 4.1% and a long-term EPS growth forecast of 11.7%. The return on equity is 22.8%. The share price is more than 73% higher than a year ago despite pulling back in the past week. The stock has outperformed competitors General Mills GIS and Kraft Foods KFT over the past six months. Buckeye Technologies BKI: Analysts expect revenues to be 14.5% higher year over year in the current quarter, and up 9.1% for the year. This Memphis-based company has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Its market cap is $1.2 billion, the P/E ratio is 12.1 and the operating margin is higher than the industry average. The share price is up more than 44% since the beginning of the year despite pulling back about 4% from a recent multiyear high. Over the past six months, the stock has outperformed competitors MeadWestvaco MWV and Weyerhaeuser WY. Group 1 Automotive GPI: This Houston-based auto dealership operator saw coverage of its stock recently initiated by Keybanc Capital with a Buy rating. Analysts expect this quarter's EPS to be 28.1% higher than a year ago. The company has a market cap of $1.1 billion and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 18.8%. The share price is about 36% higher than six months ago despite pulling back more than 3% in the past week. Over the past six months, the stock has outperformed AutoNation AN and Sonic Automotive SAH. Monro Muffler Brake MNRO: This leading provider of automotive repair and maintenance services is expect to post revenues for the current quarter that are 9.0% higher year over year. The Rochester, N.Y.-based company has a $1.2 billion market cap and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 21.8% and the return on equity is 17.4%. Shares are trading more than 25% higher than six months ago. The stock has outperformed competitor Pep Boys PBY but underperformed Midas MDS over the past six months. RLI Corp. RLI: In November, the board of this property and casualty insurance company voted to pay a special dividend in addition to the regular dividend. This $1.5 billion market cap company has paid dividends for 141 consecutive quarters. Its dividend yield is 1.7% and the long-term EPS growth forecast is 11.1%. Its operating margin is much higher than the industry average. RLI's share price is up more than 47% year to date and just shy of a recent 52-week high. The stock has outperformed competitors CNA Financial CNA and Travelers Companies TRV over the past six months. Ross Stores ROST: This Pleasanton, Calif.-based retailer of off-price apparel and home goods has been a Jim Cramer pick lately, and FBR Capital initiated coverage of the stock at Outperform this week. The S&P 500 component has a $10.7 billion market cap and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 11.5% and the return on equity is 45.9%. Shares have been trading between $92 and $94 since the beginning of the month but are more than 50% higher than a year ago. However, the stock has underperformed competitor TJX Companies TJX over the past six months. Visa V: The stock made the top 20 of CNBC's top S&P stocks of 2011, and Nomura just initiated Visa at Buy. The San Francisco-based company has a market cap of $78.3 billion. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 15.9% and the dividend yield is 0.9%. The operating margin is higher than the industry average, and the PEG ratio is 0.8. The share price is up about 38% year to date despite pulling back about 3% from the 52-week high. The stock has outperformed American Express AXP and Discover Financial DFS over the past six months. Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommend that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.