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This is Why Hanover Insurance Group (THG) is a Great Dividend Stock
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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.
Hanover Insurance Group in Focus
Hanover Insurance Group (THG - Free Report) is headquartered in Worcester, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 16.23% since the start of the year. The insurance company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.7 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.06%. This compares to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry's yield of 1.04% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.38%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.80 is up 5.7% from last year. Hanover Insurance Group has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 9.06%. 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, Hanover Insurance's payout ratio is 28%, which means it paid out 28% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, THG expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $9.58 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 2.79%.
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. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide 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. With that in mind, THG presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
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This is Why Hanover Insurance Group (THG) is a Great Dividend Stock
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.
Hanover Insurance Group in Focus
Hanover Insurance Group (THG - Free Report) is headquartered in Worcester, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 16.23% since the start of the year. The insurance company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.7 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.06%. This compares to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry's yield of 1.04% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.38%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.80 is up 5.7% from last year. Hanover Insurance Group has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 9.06%. 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, Hanover Insurance's payout ratio is 28%, which means it paid out 28% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, THG expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $9.58 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 2.79%.
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. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide 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. With that in mind, THG presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).