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Why Oxford Industries (OXM) 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 the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a 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.

Oxford Industries in Focus

Based in Atlanta, Oxford Industries (OXM - Free Report) is in the Consumer Discretionary sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -12.2%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.55 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.47%. In comparison, the Textile - Apparel industry's yield is 0.13%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.8%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $2.20 is up 35% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Oxford Industries has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 7.25%. 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, Oxford Industries's payout ratio is 22%, which means it paid out 22% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, OXM expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $10.48 per share, with earnings expected to increase 31.16% 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. Income investors must be conscious 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 OXM is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).


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