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Cathay General (CATY) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?
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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.
Cathay General in Focus
Based in Los Angeles, Cathay General (CATY - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 8.38%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.31 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.41%. In comparison, the Banks - West industry's yield is 1.98%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.87%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.24 is up 20.4% from last year. Cathay General has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 28.45%. 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. Cathay's current payout ratio is 36%, meaning it paid out 36% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for CATY for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $3.49 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 4.49%.
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.
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. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, CATY 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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Cathay General (CATY) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?
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.
Cathay General in Focus
Based in Los Angeles, Cathay General (CATY - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 8.38%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.31 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.41%. In comparison, the Banks - West industry's yield is 1.98%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.87%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.24 is up 20.4% from last year. Cathay General has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 28.45%. 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. Cathay's current payout ratio is 36%, meaning it paid out 36% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for CATY for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $3.49 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 4.49%.
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.
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. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, CATY 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).