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Carlyle Group (CG) 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. 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 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.

Carlyle Group in Focus

Carlyle Group (CG - Free Report) is headquartered in Washington, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 9.71% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.35 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.14%. In comparison, the Financial - Investment Funds industry's yield is 4.04%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.59%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.40 is up 1.8% from last year. In the past five-year period, Carlyle Group has increased its dividend 2 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 3.39%. 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. Right now, Carlyle's payout ratio is 43%, which means it paid out 43% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, CG expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $3.84 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 18.52%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. 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 CG is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).


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