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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Hoegh LNG Partners, Lenovo, Federated Hermes, Ternium and Sun Life Financial

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – September 31, 2020 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Höegh LNG Partners LP , Lenovo Group Limited (LNVGY - Free Report) , Federated Hermes, Inc. (FHI - Free Report) , Ternium S.A. (TX) and Sun Life Financial Inc. (SLF - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Should You Be Jumping into Dividend Stocks Now?

Should you jump into dividend stocks right now?

This is a question we are often asking ourselves, and there isn’t a straightforward answer.

Most of us aren’t stock market experts, so the uncertainty of the markets can have an effect on us. But when our portfolio includes some dividend stocks, we know for sure that we won’t lose out entirely, even if the markets go swooning tomorrow.

I’m not saying that will happen. In fact, tech giants continue to keep the markets buoyant and the general level of enthusiasm is spilling over into many other sectors. Also, broader indicators from manufacturing, housing and retail are showing a positive trend. Then you have Abbott’s recently-approved portable antigen rapid Covid test that should further pump up the economy.

But the thing is, the exact impact of all these indicators are big unknowns and the recovery appears mostly to be priced in at the moment. Moreover, the next two quarters aren’t likely to bring the big surprises we saw in June, since most analysts are done adjusting estimates. Add to that the fact that we have elections coming up, which typically adds volatility and uncertainty to the mix. So these things can make you a bit nervous.

So you may be considering dividend stocks.

First thing to keep in mind (if you’re looking for dividends) is the yield. That’s what you get by dividing the annual dividend paid by the share price. So if you’re overpaying, the yield will be low. It follows that dividend yields are relatively low in strong bull markets because share prices are on the rise.

The second thing to keep in mind is the growth rate of the company. A company generally pays a dividend out of its earnings and retains a portion to invest in growth. So if a company has a very high payout rate, it probably means it’s a slower growing company. This could be perfectly okay for a more mature player, but could signal problems if it’s a relatively young company. Because it could mean that the company sees limited growth opportunity or doesn’t have the necessary competence to pursue the growth that’s available.

Consider #2 ranked Hoegh LNG Partners, which has a dividend yield of 16.87% but LTG of just 5.24%. It also operates in the Zacks-classified Transportation – Shipping industry, which is in the bottom 20% of 250+ Zacks-classified industries. And sure enough, although it has a Value Score A, its Growth Score is D. This obviously isn’t as good a choice.

Then, consider Lenovo, which has a dividend yield of 8.26% and an LTG of 13.54%. Its current metrics are also good: A Zacks #2 rank with Value Score A and Growth Score A. It operates in the Computer - Mini computers industry (the top 8% of Zacks-classified industries).

I also like Federated Hermes, with its Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) rank, Value Score A, Growth Score B, dividend yield 4.46% and LTG 9.92%.

#2 ranked Ternium with its dividend yield of 6.96% and LTG of 8.82% follows. The Value Score A is attractive but the Growth Score C could have been better. Still, it operates in the Steel – Producers industry (top 27%), so things could improve from here on.

Similar is the case with #2 ranked Sun Life Financial, which operates in the attractive Insurance - Life Insurance industry (top 31%). It has a Value Score A, Growth Score C, dividend yield of 3.84% and LTG of 9.0%.

Final Thoughts

Investing in stocks is a personal decision, dependent on your investment goals. It’s hard for anyone to say with certainty which ideas will work for you. But the idea is to assess the principles and apply them to your own individual situation.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.


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Sun Life Financial Inc. (SLF) - free report >>

Lenovo Group Ltd. (LNVGY) - free report >>

Federated Hermes, Inc. (FHI) - free report >>

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