Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?

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.

While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on 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.

Johnson & Johnson in Focus

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) is headquartered in New Brunswick, and is in the Medical sector. The stock has seen a price change of 5.52% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $1.01 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.43%. In comparison, the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry's yield is 2.33%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.43%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $4.04 is up 1.5% from last year. In the past five-year period, Johnson & Johnson has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.12%. 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. Johnson & Johnson's current payout ratio is 50%. This means it paid out 50% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, JNJ expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $9.48 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 18.06%.

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. 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 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 JNJ is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - free report >>

Published in