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ONE Gas (OGS) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?

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All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. 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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.

ONE Gas in Focus

ONE Gas (OGS - Free Report) is headquartered in Tulsa, and is in the Utilities sector. The stock has seen a price change of 0.63% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.54 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.29%. In comparison, the Utility - Gas Distribution industry's yield is 2.68%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.76%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.16 is up 8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, ONE Gas has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 13.27%. 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. ONE Gas's current payout ratio is 59%, meaning it paid out 59% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for OGS for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 is $3.61 per share, with earnings expected to increase 2.85% from the year ago period.

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. However, not all companies offer 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 must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, OGS 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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