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 San Antonio, Cullen/Frost Bankers (CFR Quick QuoteCFR - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 22.65%. The financial holding company is paying out a dividend of $1.03 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.65% compared to the Banks - Southwest industry's yield of 1.65% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.41%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $4.12 is up 4.3% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Cullen/Frost Bankers has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 7.98%. 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. Cullen/Frost's current payout ratio is 39%, meaning it paid out 39% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

CFR is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $10.54 per share, with earnings expected to increase 6.14% from the year ago period.

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.

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 must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, CFR 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).