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

Huntsman in Focus

Based in The Woodlands, Huntsman (HUN - Free Report) is in the Basic Materials sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -1.12%. The chemical company is paying out a dividend of $0.21 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.46% compared to the Chemical - Diversified industry's yield of 1.6% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.5%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.85 is up 17.2% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Huntsman has increased its dividend 2 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 7.78%. 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. Huntsman's current payout ratio is 21%, meaning it paid out 21% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for HUN for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $4.04 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 14.12%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. 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. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, HUN 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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