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 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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.

Based in Des Moines, Principal Financial (PFG Quick QuotePFG - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 5.28%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.78 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.83%. In comparison, the Insurance - Multi line industry's yield is 1.65%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.54%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $3.12 is up 9.5% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Principal Financial has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 5.97%. 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. Principal Financial's current payout ratio is 40%, meaning it paid out 40% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, PFG expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 is $8.28 per share, with earnings expected to increase 18.79% from the year ago period.

Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. However, not all companies offer a quarterly payout.

For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers its 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. With that in mind, PFG presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).