9 Ex-Dividend Stocks With Buy Ratings

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The following stocks go ex-dividend Wednesday, meaning an investor must purchase the shares Tuesday to qualify for the next dividend payment: Core Laboratories(CLB), Cliffs Natural Resources(CLF), Healthcare Services Group(HCSG), PetSmart(PETM), Procter & Gamble(PG), Pentair(PNR), Signet Jewelers(SIG), Tyco International(TYC) and Williams-Sonoma(WSM).

Each of the stocks received a buy rating at TheStreet Ratings.

Core Laboratories

The reservoir management services company that works with oil and gas companies reported on April 18 first-quarter earnings of $54 million, or 1.13 a share, up from year-earlier earnings of $46.3 million, or 94 cents.

"We have been Core Labs' biggest long-term fan, recommending the stock below $20 per share and riding it up to over $100 before rating it neutral when we joined Dahlman Rose just over a year ago," Dahlman Rose analysts wrote in a report on Monday. "The stock has continued to be a powerhouse advancing another 30% - over the past 12 months. While the earnings outlook continues to be excellent, the company's formula of returning excess cash to shareholders is one that has worked very well, and management is at the top of the industry, it is difficult to recommend the stock here because of valuation."

Forward Annual Dividend Yield: 0.9%

Rated "A (Buy)" by TheStreet Ratings: The company's first-quarter gross profit margin increased from the previous year.

Core Laboratories has average liquidity. Its Quick Ratio is 1.48, which shows the company can technically meet its short-term cash needs.

In the first quarter, stockholders' net worth decreased 24.76% from the prior year.

TheStreet Ratings' price target is $171.26.