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.
Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, 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.
Based in New York, ABM Industries (ABM) is in the Business Services sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 3.63%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.26 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2%. In comparison, the Building Products - Maintenance Service industry's yield is 0.65%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.52%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.06 is up 17.8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, ABM Industries has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 5.32%. 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. Right now, ABM Industries's payout ratio is 25%, which means it paid out 25% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, ABM expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 is $3.71 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 3.92%.
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.
High-growth firms or tech start-ups, for example, rarely provide their shareholders a dividend, while larger, more established companies that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options. 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 ABM 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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