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Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock? MetLife (MET) Could Be a Great Choice
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Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.
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.
MetLife in Focus
Headquartered in New York, MetLife (MET - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 25.33% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.48 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.26%. In comparison, the Insurance - Multi line industry's yield is 1.73%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.37%.
Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $1.92 is up 5.5% from last year. In the past five-year period, MetLife has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.05%. Any future dividend growth will depend on both earnings growth and the company's payout ratio; a payout ratio is the proportion of a firm's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. MetLife's current payout ratio is 27%. This means it paid out 27% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for MET for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $7.20 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 16.88%.
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. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. 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 MET is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
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Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock? MetLife (MET) Could Be a Great Choice
Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.
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.
MetLife in Focus
Headquartered in New York, MetLife (MET - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 25.33% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.48 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.26%. In comparison, the Insurance - Multi line industry's yield is 1.73%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.37%.
Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $1.92 is up 5.5% from last year. In the past five-year period, MetLife has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.05%. Any future dividend growth will depend on both earnings growth and the company's payout ratio; a payout ratio is the proportion of a firm's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. MetLife's current payout ratio is 27%. This means it paid out 27% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for MET for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $7.20 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 16.88%.
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. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. 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 MET is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).