Yahoo Finance Unum (UNM) 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. However, 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 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.
Unum in Focus
Unum (UNM) is headquartered in Chattanooga, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 10% since the start of the year. The insurance company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.37 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.94%. This compares to the Insurance - Accident and Health industry's yield of 2.25% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.57%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.46 is up 5% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Unum has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.40%. 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, Unum's payout ratio is 18%, which means it paid out 18% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
UNM is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $8.24 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 7.57%.
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, UNM 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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Unum Group (UNM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
