Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Why Hillenbrand (HI) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now

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. However, 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.

Hillenbrand in Focus

Based in Batesville, Hillenbrand (HI - Free Report) is in the Consumer Staples sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -19.37%. The diversified industrial company specializing in business-to-business products is paying out a dividend of $0.22 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.08% compared to the Funeral Services industry's yield of 1.76% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.46%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $0.87 is up 1.2% from last year. Hillenbrand has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 1.22%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Right now, Hillenbrand's payout ratio is 23%, which means it paid out 23% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

HI is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $3.92 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 3.43%.

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. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, HI 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).


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Hillenbrand Inc (HI) - free report >>

Published in