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Camden (CPT) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?

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Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. 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.

Camden in Focus

Headquartered in Houston, Camden (CPT - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of -4.22% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $1 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.73%. In comparison, the REIT and Equity Trust - Residential industry's yield is 3.91%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.67%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $4 is up 6.4% from last year. Camden has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 5.29%. 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. Camden's current payout ratio is 59%, meaning it paid out 59% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

CPT is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is $6.88 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 4.40%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.

Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, CPT 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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