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Why U.S. Bancorp (USB) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now

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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 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 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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.

U.S. Bancorp in Focus

Based in Minneapolis, U.S. Bancorp (USB - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 9.45%. The company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.48 per share, with a dividend yield of 4.02%. This compares to the Banks - Major Regional industry's yield of 3.21% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.64%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.92 is up 2.1% from last year. In the past five-year period, U.S. Bancorp has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 8.58%. 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. U.S. Bancorp's current payout ratio is 43%, meaning it paid out 43% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for USB for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is $5.01 per share, with earnings expected to increase 12.58% from the year ago period.

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.

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. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, USB 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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