Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Why Federated Investors (FII) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now

Read MoreHide Full Article

Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. But 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 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.

Federated Investors in Focus

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Federated Investors is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 3.01% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.27 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.95%. In comparison, the Financial - Investment Management industry's yield is 3%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.97%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $1.08 is up 1.9% from last year. In the past five-year period, Federated Investors has increased its dividend 1 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 1.19%. 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. Federated Investors's current payout ratio is 45%. This means it paid out 45% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, FII expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $2.34 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 7.34%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. 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. With that in mind, FII 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).

Published in