Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.
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.
1st Source (SRCE) is headquartered in South Bend, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 31.36% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.43 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.1%. In comparison, the Banks - Midwest industry's yield is 2.47%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.39%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.72 is up 13.2% from last year. Over the last 5 years, 1st Source has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 5.67%. 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. 1st Source's current payout ratio is 25%, meaning it paid out 25% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for SRCE for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $6.81 per share, with earnings expected to increase 6.24% from the year ago period.
Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. However, not all companies offer 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. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, SRCE 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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1st Source Corporation (SRCE): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).