Yahoo Finance Snap-On (SNA) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?
All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. 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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Snap-On in Focus
Headquartered in Kenosha, Snap-On (SNA) is a Consumer Discretionary stock that has seen a price change of 0.26% so far this year. The tool and diagnostic equipment maker is paying out a dividend of $1.86 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.57% compared to the Tools - Handheld industry's yield of 0.36% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.6%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $7.44 is up 10.7% from last year. Snap-On has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 14.82%. 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. Snap-On's current payout ratio is 40%. This means it paid out 40% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, SNA expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $19.22 per share, with earnings expected to increase 2.45% 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. However, not all companies offer 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, SNA 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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Snap-On Incorporated (SNA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
