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Shinhan Financial (SHG) Could Be a Great Choice

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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 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.

Based in Seoul, Shinhan Financial (SHG - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 40.56%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.43 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.26%. In comparison, the Banks - Foreign industry's yield is 2.57%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.45%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.71 is up 38.7% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Shinhan Financial has increased its dividend 3 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.36%. 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. Shinhan Financial's current payout ratio is 21%, meaning it paid out 21% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

SHG is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $8.86 per share, with earnings expected to increase 28.22% 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. But, not every company offers 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 have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, SHG presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

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