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Assurant (AIZ) Could Be a Great Choice

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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.

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.

Assurant in Focus

Headquartered in New York, Assurant (AIZ - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of -1% so far this year. The insurer is paying out a dividend of $0.7 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.26% compared to the Insurance - Multi line industry's yield of 2.13% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.7%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.80 is up 2.2% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Assurant has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.55%. 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. Assurant's current payout ratio is 26%. This means it paid out 26% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, AIZ expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is $13.59 per share, with earnings expected to increase 22.10% from the year ago period.

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.

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 AIZ is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).


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