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Why Emerson Electric (EMR) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio

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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 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.

Emerson Electric in Focus

Headquartered in St. Louis, Emerson Electric (EMR - Free Report) is an Industrial Products stock that has seen a price change of 13.36% so far this year. The maker of process controls systems, valves and analytical instruments is paying out a dividend of $0.5 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.22% compared to the Manufacturing - Electronics industry's yield of 0.54% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.27%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.02 is up 1% from last year. Emerson Electric has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 1.31%. 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. Right now, Emerson Electric's payout ratio is 56%, which means it paid out 56% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, EMR expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $3.75 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 8.38%.

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 must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, EMR 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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