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Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?

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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.

While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on 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.

RGC Resources Inc. In Focus

Based in Roanoke, RGC Resources Inc. (RGCO - Free Report) is in the Oils-Energy sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -0.49%. The company is paying out a dividend of $0.2 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.95% compared to the Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry's yield of 2.58% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.54%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $0.80 is up 1.5% from last year. In the past five-year period, RGC Resources Inc. has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.61%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. RGC Resources's current payout ratio is 60%. This means it paid out 60% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, RGCO expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $1.16 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 1.75%.

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.

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. With that in mind, RGCO 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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