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Why First American Financial (FAF) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio
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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.
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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
First American Financial in Focus
Based in Santa Ana, First American Financial (FAF - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 22.45%. The financial services company is paying out a dividend of $0.42 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.07% compared to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry's yield of 1.51% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.9%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.68 is up 5% from last year. In the past five-year period, First American Financial has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 15.33%. 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. Right now, First American Financial's payout ratio is 36%, which means it paid out 36% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
FAF is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $4.63 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 10.50%.
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. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide 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. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that FAF is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
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Why First American Financial (FAF) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio
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.
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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
First American Financial in Focus
Based in Santa Ana, First American Financial (FAF - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 22.45%. The financial services company is paying out a dividend of $0.42 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.07% compared to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry's yield of 1.51% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.9%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.68 is up 5% from last year. In the past five-year period, First American Financial has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 15.33%. 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. Right now, First American Financial's payout ratio is 36%, which means it paid out 36% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
FAF is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $4.63 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 10.50%.
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. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide 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. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that FAF is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).