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State Street Corporation (STT) Could Be a Great Choice

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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. But 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 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.

State Street Corporation in Focus

State Street Corporation (STT - Free Report) is headquartered in Boston, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 0.97% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.69 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.53%. In comparison, the Banks - Major Regional industry's yield is 3.53%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.62%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $2.76 is up 4.5% from last year. Over the last 5 years, State Street Corporation has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 7.56%. 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. State Street's current payout ratio is 35%, meaning it paid out 35% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for STT for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $8.15 per share, with earnings expected to increase 6.40% 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. However, not all companies offer 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. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, STT 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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