First Savings Financial (FSFG) Could Be a Great Choice
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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
First Savings Financial in Focus
First Savings Financial (FSFG) is headquartered in Jeffersonville, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of -18.75% since the start of the year. The bank holding company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.14 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.45%. This compares to the Financial - Savings and Loan industry's yield of 3.36% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.61%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.56 is up 1.8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, First Savings Financial has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 31.80%. 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. First Savings Financial's current payout ratio is 33%, meaning it paid out 33% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, FSFG expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 is $2.15 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 16.22%.
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.
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. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that FSFG is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
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First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (FSFG) : Free Stock Analysis Report
