Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock? Provident Financial (PFS) Could Be a Great Choice

Read MoreHide Full Article

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.

Provident Financial in Focus

Headquartered in Jersey City, Provident Financial (PFS - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of -8.46% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.24 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 4.33%. In comparison, the Financial - Savings and Loan industry's yield is 2.49%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.5%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.96 is up 3.2% from last year. In the past five-year period, Provident Financial has increased its dividend 3 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.44%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Provident Financial's current payout ratio is 45%. This means it paid out 45% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for PFS for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $2.20 per share, with earnings expected to increase 0.46% from the year ago period.

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.

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. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that PFS is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Provident Financial Services, Inc (PFS) - free report >>

Published in