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This is Why CNB Financial (CCNE) is a Great Dividend Stock

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All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.

Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, 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.

CNB Financial in Focus

Based in Clearfield, CNB Financial (CCNE) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -0.68%. The bank holding company is paying out a dividend of $0.17 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.66% compared to the Banks - Northeast industry's yield of 2.24% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.46%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $0.70 is up 2.2% from last year. In the past five-year period, CNB Financial has increased its dividend 2 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 0.92%. 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. CNB's current payout ratio is 22%, meaning it paid out 22% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

CCNE is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $3.20 per share, with earnings expected to increase 1.27% from the year ago period.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. However, not all companies offer 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 have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, CCNE 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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