Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock? Sierra Bancorp (BSRR) Could Be a Great Choice

Read MoreHide Full Article

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

While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on 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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.

Sierra Bancorp in Focus

Headquartered in Porterville, Sierra Bancorp (BSRR - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 11.83% so far this year. The parent company of Bank of the Sierra is paying out a dividend of $0.21 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.14% compared to the Banks - West industry's yield of 1.83% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.28%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $0.84 is up 5% from last year. In the past five-year period, Sierra Bancorp has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 13.25%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Sierra Bancorp's current payout ratio is 35%. This means it paid out 35% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

BSRR is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $2.58 per share, with earnings expected to increase 11.21% from the year ago period.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. But, not every company offers a quarterly payout.

High-growth firms or tech start-ups, for example, rarely provide their shareholders a dividend, while larger, more established companies that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that BSRR is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Sierra Bancorp (BSRR) - free report >>

Published in