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 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.
CyrusOne in Focus
Based in Dallas, CyrusOne (CONE) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 45.97%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.46 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.59%. In comparison, the REIT and Equity Trust – Other industry’s yield is 4.07%, while the S&P 500’s yield is 1.88%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company’s current annualized dividend of $2 is up 8.7% from last year. In the past five-year period, CyrusOne has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 15.53%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company’s annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. CyrusOne’s current payout ratio is 55%, meaning it paid out 55% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, CONE expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $3.54 per share, with earnings expected to increase 6.95% 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. It’s important to keep in mind that not all companies provide 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. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, CONE 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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