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Why FNF Group (FNF) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio

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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.

Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a 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.

FNF Group in Focus

FNF Group (FNF - Free Report) is headquartered in Jacksonville, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 2.18% since the start of the year. The provider of title insurance and mortgage services is paying out a dividend of $0.48 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.68% compared to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry's yield of 0.17% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.58%.

Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $1.92 is up 4.9% from last year. Over the last 5 years, FNF Group has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 10.68%. 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. FNF Group's current payout ratio is 55%, meaning it paid out 55% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, FNF expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $4.83 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 36.06%.

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 FNF is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).


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