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This is Why M&T Bank (MTB) 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.

M&T Bank in Focus

Headquartered in Buffalo, M&T Bank (MTB - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 13.92% so far this year. The bank holding company is currently shelling out a dividend of $1 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.45%. This compares to the Banks - Major Regional industry's yield of 2.97% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.92%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $4 is up 12.7% from last year. M&T Bank has increased its dividend 2 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 6.95%. 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. M&T Bank's current payout ratio is 29%. This means it paid out 29% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

MTB is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $14.58 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 13.37%.

Bottom Line

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.

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, MTB 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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