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This is Why Stock Yards Bancorp (SYBT) 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. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.

While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on 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.

Stock Yards Bancorp in Focus

Based in Louisville, Stock Yards Bancorp (SYBT - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 4.88%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.25 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.91%. In comparison, the Banks - Southeast industry's yield is 1.75%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.94%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1 is up 4.2% from last year. Stock Yards Bancorp has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 13%. 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. Stock Yards's current payout ratio is 41%, meaning it paid out 41% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for SYBT for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $2.52 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 4.13%.

Bottom Line

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.

For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. 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, SYBT presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).


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