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Why Snap-On (SNA) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio

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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. However, 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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.

Snap-On in Focus

Headquartered in Kenosha, Snap-On (SNA - Free Report) is a Consumer Discretionary stock that has seen a price change of 5.37% so far this year. The tool and diagnostic equipment maker is paying out a dividend of $1.62 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.69% compared to the Tools - Handheld industry's yield of 0.22% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.77%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $6.48 is up 10.2% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Snap-On has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 14.61%. 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. Snap-On's current payout ratio is 39%. This means it paid out 39% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, SNA expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is $17.10 per share, with earnings expected to increase 1.66% from the year ago period.

Bottom Line

From greatly improving stock investing profits and reducing overall portfolio risk to providing tax advantages, investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons. 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. 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, SNA presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).


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