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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.
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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Spire in Focus
Based in St Louis, Spire (SR - Free Report) is in the Utilities sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 0.65%. The natural gas distributor is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.59 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.18%. This compares to the Utility - Gas Distribution industry's yield of 2.69% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.99%.
Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $2.37 is up 5.3% from last year. Spire has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 6.52%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Spire's current payout ratio is 59%, meaning it paid out 59% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for SR for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $3.75 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 0.81%.
Bottom Line
From greatly improving stock investing profits and reducing overall portfolio risk to providing tax advantages, investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. 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 SR 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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This is Why Spire (SR) is a Great Dividend Stock
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.
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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Spire in Focus
Based in St Louis, Spire (SR - Free Report) is in the Utilities sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 0.65%. The natural gas distributor is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.59 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.18%. This compares to the Utility - Gas Distribution industry's yield of 2.69% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.99%.
Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $2.37 is up 5.3% from last year. Spire has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 6.52%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Spire's current payout ratio is 59%, meaning it paid out 59% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for SR for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $3.75 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 0.81%.
Bottom Line
From greatly improving stock investing profits and reducing overall portfolio risk to providing tax advantages, investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. 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 SR is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).