Why Preferred Bank (PFBC) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now
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.
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.
Preferred Bank in Focus
Headquartered in Los Angeles, Preferred Bank (PFBC) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of -4.57% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.43 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.51%. In comparison, the Banks - West industry's yield is 2.65%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.55%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.72 is up 19.4% from last year. Preferred Bank has increased its dividend 3 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 16.41%. 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. Preferred Bank's current payout ratio is 26%, meaning it paid out 26% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
PFBC is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $7.47 per share, with earnings expected to increase 16.54% from the year ago period.
Bottom Line
Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. But, not every company offers 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, PFBC 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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