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This is Why Central Valley Community Bancorp (CVCY) is a Great 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. 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.

Central Valley Community Bancorp in Focus

Central Valley Community Bancorp (CVCY - Free Report) is headquartered in Fresno, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 5.25% since the start of the year. The holding company for Central Valley Community Bank is paying out a dividend of $0.1 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.01% compared to the Banks - West industry's yield of 1.74% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.97%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.40 is up 29% from last year. In the past five-year period, Central Valley Community Bancorp has increased its dividend 2 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 9.63%. Any future dividend growth will depend on both earnings growth and the company's payout ratio; a payout ratio is the proportion of a firm's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Central Valley Community Bancorp's current payout ratio is 23%, meaning it paid out 23% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

CVCY is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $1.64 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 6.49%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide 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. With that in mind, CVCY 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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