Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Why Prosperity Bancshares (PB) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now

Read MoreHide Full Article

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.

Prosperity Bancshares in Focus

Prosperity Bancshares (PB - Free Report) is headquartered in Houston, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of -6.17% since the start of the year. The financial holding company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.56 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.52%. This compares to the Banks - Southwest industry's yield of 0.68% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.58%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $2.24 is up 1.4% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Prosperity Bancshares has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.44%. 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. Prosperity Bancshares's current payout ratio is 47%. This means it paid out 47% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, PB expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $4.99 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 0.40%.

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.

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 have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, PB 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).


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. (PB) - free report >>

Published in