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Why Emerson Electric (EMR) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio

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Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. 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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.

Emerson Electric in Focus

Emerson Electric (EMR - Free Report) is headquartered in St. Louis, and is in the Industrial Products sector. The stock has seen a price change of -1.55% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.51 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.25%. In comparison, the Manufacturing - Electronics industry's yield is 0.49%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.53%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.06 is up 2% from last year. In the past five-year period, Emerson Electric has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 1.45%. 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. Right now, Emerson Electric's payout ratio is 44%, which means it paid out 44% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for EMR for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $5.06 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 23.41%.

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. But, not every company offers 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. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, EMR 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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