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Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a 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.
Black Hills in Focus
Based in Rapid City, Black Hills (BKH - Free Report) is in the Utilities sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 1.03%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.6 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.34%. In comparison, the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield is 3.44%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.74%.
Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $2.38 is up 3.9% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Black Hills has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 5.93%. 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. Right now, Black Hills's payout ratio is 59%, which means it paid out 59% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
BKH is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $4.05 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 8.29%.
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. However, not all companies offer 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. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, BKH is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold).
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Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?
Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a 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.
Black Hills in Focus
Based in Rapid City, Black Hills (BKH - Free Report) is in the Utilities sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 1.03%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.6 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.34%. In comparison, the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield is 3.44%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.74%.
Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $2.38 is up 3.9% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Black Hills has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 5.93%. 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. Right now, Black Hills's payout ratio is 59%, which means it paid out 59% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
BKH is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $4.05 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 8.29%.
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. However, not all companies offer 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. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, BKH is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold).