Why Ryder (R) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now
Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. 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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
Ryder in Focus
Based in Miami, Ryder (R) is in the Transportation sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 47.73%. The truck leasing company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.58 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.54%. This compares to the Transportation - Equipment and Leasing industry's yield of 0.26% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.35%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.32 is up 3.6% from last year. In the past five-year period, Ryder has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 5.93%. 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. Ryder's current payout ratio is 41%. This means it paid out 41% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, R expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $7.58 per share, with earnings expected to increase 2,907.41% 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. But, not every company offers a quarterly payout.
For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. 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 R 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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