Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. 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.

Independent Bank (IBCP - Free Report) is headquartered in Grand Rapids, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 17.43% since the start of the year. The bank holding company is paying out a dividend of $0.28 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.93% compared to the Banks - Northeast industry's yield of 2.19% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.34%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.12 is up 7.7% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Independent Bank has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 5.11%. 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. Independent Bank's current payout ratio is 33%, meaning it paid out 33% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, IBCP expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $3.59 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 9.79%.

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

Published in