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.

Bank of America in Focus

Based in Charlotte, Bank of America (BAC) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 5.35%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.26 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.25%. In comparison, the Financial - Investment Bank industry's yield is 0.85%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.5%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.04 is up 4% from last year. In the past five-year period, Bank of America has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 8.72%. 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. Bank of America's current payout ratio is 32%, meaning it paid out 32% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

BAC is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 is $3.67 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 11.89%.

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.

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. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that BAC 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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