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Why Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now

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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. However, 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 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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.

Mid-America Apartment Communities in Focus

Based in Germantown, Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -30.78%. The real estate investment trust is paying out a dividend of $1.25 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.15% compared to the REIT and Equity Trust - Residential industry's yield of 3.01% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.8%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $5 is up 22% from last year. Mid-America Apartment Communities has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 4.22%. 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. Mid-America Apartment Communities's current payout ratio is 57%, meaning it paid out 57% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

MAA is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $8.28 per share, with earnings expected to increase 18.12% 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. 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, MAA 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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