Why Prudential (PRU) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio

PRU

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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.

Prudential in Focus

Headquartered in Newark, Prudential (PRU - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 11.57% so far this year. The financial services company is currently shelling out a dividend of $1.3 per share, with a dividend yield of 4.49%. This compares to the Insurance - Multi line industry's yield of 1.83% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.54%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $5.20 is up 4% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Prudential has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 5.22%. 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. Prudential's current payout ratio is 43%. This means it paid out 43% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for PRU for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $13.39 per share, with earnings expected to increase 15.23% from the year ago period.

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.

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 have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, PRU 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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