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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 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 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.
Unitil in Focus
Unitil (UTL - Free Report) is headquartered in Hampton, and is in the Utilities sector. The stock has seen a price change of 16.59% since the start of the year. The utility is paying out a dividend of $0.41 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.71% compared to the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield of 3.18% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.76%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.62 is up 3.8% from last year. In the past five-year period, Unitil has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 1.79%. 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. Unitil's current payout ratio is 60%. This means it paid out 60% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
UTL is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is $2.78 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 7.34%.
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. Income investors must be conscious 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 UTL is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
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Unitil (UTL) Could Be a Great Choice
Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But 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 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.
Unitil in Focus
Unitil (UTL - Free Report) is headquartered in Hampton, and is in the Utilities sector. The stock has seen a price change of 16.59% since the start of the year. The utility is paying out a dividend of $0.41 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.71% compared to the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield of 3.18% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.76%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.62 is up 3.8% from last year. In the past five-year period, Unitil has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 1.79%. 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. Unitil's current payout ratio is 60%. This means it paid out 60% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
UTL is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is $2.78 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 7.34%.
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. Income investors must be conscious 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 UTL is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).