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Why Independent Bank (IBCP) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio

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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 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.

Independent Bank in Focus

Based in Grand Rapids, Independent Bank (IBCP - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -4.65%. The bank holding company is paying out a dividend of $0.24 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.87% compared to the Banks - Midwest industry's yield of 3.38% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.6%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.96 is up 4.3% from last year. In the past five-year period, Independent Bank has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 5.74%. 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. Independent Bank's current payout ratio is 31%. This means it paid out 31% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for IBCP for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $2.99 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 2.05%.

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. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide 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. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that IBCP 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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