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Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock? The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc (PNC) Could Be a Great Choice

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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.

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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc in Focus

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc (PNC - Free Report) is headquartered in Pittsburgh, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of -0.63% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $1.25 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.51%. In comparison, the Banks - Major Regional industry's yield is 2.57%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.44%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $5 is up 4.2% from last year. Over the last 5 years, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 17.33%. 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. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc's current payout ratio is 31%, meaning it paid out 31% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

PNC is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $14.24 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 0.42%.

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