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Federated Hermes (FHI) Could Be a Great Choice

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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.

Federated Hermes in Focus

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Federated Hermes (FHI - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 5.2% so far this year. The one of the nation's largest managers of money market funds is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.28 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.14%. This compares to the Financial - Investment Management industry's yield of 3.06% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.59%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $1.12 is up 0.9% from last year. In the past five-year period, Federated Hermes has increased its dividend 1 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 0.56%. Any future dividend growth will depend on both earnings growth and the company's payout ratio; a payout ratio is the proportion of a firm's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Federated Hermes's current payout ratio is 33%. This means it paid out 33% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, FHI expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $3.64 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 7.06%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. 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. Income investors have to be mindful 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 FHI is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).


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