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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. 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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
MGE in Focus
MGE (MGEE - Free Report) is headquartered in Madison, and is in the Utilities sector. The stock has seen a price change of 9.57% since the start of the year. The public utility holding company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.41 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.11%. This compares to the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield of 3.23% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.8%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.63 is up 2.5% from last year. Over the last 5 years, MGE has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.88%. 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. MGE's current payout ratio is 53%, meaning it paid out 53% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for MGEE for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is $3.36 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 9.45%.
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.
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, MGEE 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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Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?
All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. 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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
MGE in Focus
MGE (MGEE - Free Report) is headquartered in Madison, and is in the Utilities sector. The stock has seen a price change of 9.57% since the start of the year. The public utility holding company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.41 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.11%. This compares to the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield of 3.23% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.8%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.63 is up 2.5% from last year. Over the last 5 years, MGE has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.88%. 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. MGE's current payout ratio is 53%, meaning it paid out 53% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for MGEE for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is $3.36 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 9.45%.
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.
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, MGEE 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).