York Water (YORW) 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. But 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 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.
York Water in Focus
Based in York, York Water (YORW) is in the Utilities sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -22.44%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.19 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.02%. In comparison, the Utility - Water Supply industry's yield is 1.97%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.85%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.78 is up 3% from last year. In the past five-year period, York Water has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.03%. 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. York Water's current payout ratio is 59%. This means it paid out 59% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, YORW expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $1.36 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 4.62%.
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. However, not all companies offer 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 have to be mindful 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 YORW is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
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