Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock? Independent Bank (IBCP) Could Be a Great Choice
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 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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
Independent Bank in Focus
Based in Grand Rapids, Independent Bank (IBCP) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -3.49%. The bank holding company is paying out a dividend of $0.2 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.66% compared to the Banks - Midwest industry's yield of 2.5% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.78%.
Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $0.80 is up 11.1% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Independent Bank has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 29.56%. 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. Independent Bank's current payout ratio is 36%, meaning it paid out 36% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for IBCP for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 is $2.04 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 2%.
Bottom Line
Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. 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, IBCP presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
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