3 Top Dividend Aristocrats to Buy Ahead of 2024
It’s been a tough year for income-focused investors as Wall Street is all set to conclude 2023 with solid gains and is also banking on the Santa Claus rally to notch record highs. The Federal Reserve’s intention to trim interest rates in 2024, following signs that inflation is ebbing, gave the stock market the wherewithal to scale northward.
The U.S. economy, meanwhile, registered the best quarterly gains in almost two years in the third quarter, while the labor market remained strong and consumer outlays picked up. But despite the economy’s unending resilience amid recessionary concerns, the fear of a slowdown, to a certain degree, lingers.
After all, the Conference Board recently projected a mild recession in the first half of 2024. The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index (LEI), which forecasts a possible downturn, soon fell 0.5% to 103.0 in November, following October’s downwardly revised reading of a decline of 1%.
The LEI has fallen for the 20th successive month, the longest declining stretch since the Great Recession. The LEI, by the way, contracted 3.5% in the six months from May to November, following a contraction of 4.3% in the prior six months.
Thus, investing in sound dividend aristocrats should be the most-favored investment strategy as of now since a decline in economic activity is likely to happen soon.
Dividend aristocrats have paid dividends consistently for a long period and have created shareholder value. These stocks have mostly outperformed heading into a recession, which makes them a compelling buy ahead of the new year.
Some of the prominent names are Cardinal Health CAH, Atmos Energy ATO and NextEra Energy NEE. These stocks have a better-quality business and strong underlying fundamentals. They also flaunt a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Cardinal Health is a nationwide drug distributor and provider of services to pharmacies, healthcare providers and manufacturers.
The company’s diversified product portfolio and acquisition initiatives are expected to boost its profits in the quarters ahead. Cardinal Health is known for having raised its dividend for 35 years.
Cardinal Health has a dividend yield of 1.98%. CAH’s payout ratio presently sits at 32% of earnings. CAH’s payout has advanced by 1.02% in the past five years. Check Cardinal Health’s dividend history here.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for next year is 11.6%. CAH’s projected earnings growth rate for the next five-year period is 15.2%.
Atmos Energy is engaged in the regulated natural gas distribution and storage business.
While a solid capital expenditure plan is boosting Atmos Energy’s performance, the company is also gaining from steady customer additions. Atmos Energy is known for having raised its dividend for 39 consecutive years.
Atmos Energy has a dividend yield of 2.78%. ATO’s payout ratio presently sits at 48% of earnings. ATO’s payout has advanced by 8.6% in the past five years. Check Atmos Energy’s dividend history here.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for next year is 6.4%. ATO’s projected earnings growth rate for the next five-year period is 7.3%.
NextEra Energy is a public utility holding company engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric energy.
Sufficient liquidity, acquisitions and consistent renewable asset additions will boost NextEra Energy’s performance in the upcoming quarters. NextEra Energy is known for having raised its dividend for over 25 consecutive years.
NextEra Energy has a dividend yield of 3.11%. NEE’s payout ratio presently sits at 59% of earnings. NEE’s payout has advanced by 10.8% in the past five years. Check NextEra Energy’s dividend history here.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for next year is 8.7%. NEE’s projected earnings growth rate for the next five-year period is 8.2%.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
