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Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?

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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.

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.

Headquartered in Mansfield, Citizens Financial Services (CZFS - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of -11.36% so far this year. The bank is paying out a dividend of $0.50 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.56% compared to the Banks - Northeast industry's yield of 2.67% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.48%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.00 is up 2% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Citizens Financial Services has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 2.36%. 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. Citizens Financial Services's current payout ratio is 30%, meaning it paid out 30% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, CZFS expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 is $6.90 per share, with earnings expected to increase 14.81% from the year ago period.

Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. But, not every company offers 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, CZFS 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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