Carter's (CRI) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?
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 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.
Carter's in Focus
Carter's (CRI) is headquartered in Atlanta, and is in the Consumer Discretionary sector. The stock has seen a price change of 16.96% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.5 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.1%. In comparison, the Shoes and Retail Apparel industry's yield is 1.03%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.93%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2 is up 11.1% from last year. Carter's has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 24.32%. 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. Right now, Carter's's payout ratio is 33%, which means it paid out 33% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, CRI expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $6.64 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 5.56%.
Bottom Line
Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide 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, CRI 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).
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
Carter's, Inc. (CRI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
