The Planet's Best Dividend Stocks

Could it be that the best opportunities for income investors lie beyond the borders of proud America? With the markets up sharply from lows earlier in the year, it's becoming increasingly difficult to spot the bargains. But they're out there. Here are a few absolutely worthy candidates to consider in the hunt for the planet's best dividend plays: a banker, a druggist and a supplier of shocks.

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National Grid PLC (NYSE:NGG) boasts terrific fundamentals. Yielding a healthy annual 7.71% dividend and carrying a one-year trailing P/E ratio of 14.68, National Grid's numbers speak value in volumes.

The London-based company (and the U.K.'s largest utility by market cap) is a key supplier of electricity and natural gas to over 16 million households and businesses across networks in the U.K. and American Northeast. The company's shares are up 25% since bottoming in March, mostly on hopes that borrowing costs will continue to stabilize in coming quarters.

It's Warmer in Canada?
North of the border there's a story to be told of a banking business that was nearly 100% sheltered from the subprime storm that last year rocked financial institutions across the U.S. and Europe. For a number of reasons, more conservative banking policies kept all the major Canadian lenders solvent and thriving. Among them, Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) remains a standout.

BMO stock is up almost 120% from lows struck in February of this year. It offers investors a worthwhile 5.5% dividend and sports a reasonable trailing P/E ratio of 16.30. The company is nearly 50% owned by institutional investors, who clearly see both the value and longer-term potential of the company's shares. In a partnership with Jones Heward Investment Counsel Inc., Bank of Montreal recently launched its own line of BMO ETFs.

An English Apothecary
AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) is a British-based global pharmaceuticals player, operating 26 manufacturing facilities in 19 countries around the world. In just the last three weeks, the company was granted approval for three new prescription drug products for treatment of schizophrenia, type 2 diabetes and lung cancer.

The company's shares are an income investor's dream. They trade with a P/E multiple of just 9.50 and offer shareholders a very handsome 6.9% annual dividend yield. AstraZeneca shares are up 50% since hitting 52-week lows in March.

The Wrap
The search for solid, income-producing investments is on, and the three issues outlined above sport some of the best fundamentals currently available to investors. Are they the world's best dividend stocks? Time will tell. (To learn more, check out Dividends Still Look Good After All These Years.)