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This is Why HP (HPQ) is a Great Dividend Stock

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All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.

Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.

HP in Focus

Headquartered in Palo Alto, HP (HPQ - Free Report) is a Computer and Technology stock that has seen a price change of 14.45% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.18 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.3%. In comparison, the Computer - Mini computers industry's yield is 1.35%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.49%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.78 is up 10.6% from last year. Over the last 5 years, HP has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.46%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. HP's current payout ratio is 31%, meaning it paid out 31% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, HPQ expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 is $2.65 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 16.23%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. But, not every company offers a quarterly payout.

Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. Income investors have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that HPQ is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).


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