How do you determine a good dividend stock? (2024)

How do you determine a good dividend stock?

Investors who are focused on dividend-paying stocks should evaluate the quality of the dividends by analyzing the dividend payout ratio, dividend coverage ratio, free cash flow to equity (FCFE), and net debt to earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) ratio.

Investors who are focused on dividend-paying stocks should evaluate the quality of the dividends by analyzing the dividend payout ratio, dividend coverage ratio, free cash flow to equity (FCFE), and net debt to earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) ratio.

Dividend yields over 4% should be carefully scrutinized; those over 10% tread firmly into risky territory. Among other things, a too-high dividend yield can indicate the payout is unsustainable, or that investors are selling the stock, driving down its share price and increasing the dividend.

Dividend Payout Ratio

The lower the ratio, the more secure the dividend. Any ratio above 50% is generally considered a warning flag.

Healthy. A range of 35% to 55% is considered healthy and appropriate from a dividend investor's point of view. A company that is likely to distribute roughly half of its earnings as dividends means that the company is well established and a leader in its industry.

While there is no perfect answer, here are the general guidelines we like to follow when building a dividend portfolio: Hold between 20 and 60 stocks to reduce company-specific risk. Roughly equal-weight each position. Invest no more than 25% of your portfolio in any one sector.

Reinvest Your Payments

The truth is that most investors won't have the money to generate $1,000 per month in dividends; not at first, anyway. Even if you find a market-beating series of investments that average 3% annual yield, you would still need $400,000 in up-front capital to hit your targets.

What is the dividend trap?

A dividend trap is where the stock's dividend and price decrease over time due to high payout ratios, high levels of debt, or the difference between profits and cash. These situations commonly produce an unsupported but attractive yield.

Rock-solid dividend stocks

Kinder Morgan, Equinix, and Lockheed Martin pay safe dividends and earn contractually secured revenue, enabling them to produce predictable cash flow. On top of that, they have very strong balance sheets. Those features make them some of the most bankable dividends for 2024 and beyond.

Despite their storied histories, they cut their dividends. 9 In other words, dividends are not guaranteed and are subject to macroeconomic and company-specific risks. Another downside to dividend-paying stocks is that companies that pay dividends are not usually high-growth leaders.

Say a company earns $100 million this year and makes $50 million in dividend payments to its shareholders. In this case, its dividend payout ratio would be 50%. You can also use per-share amounts to get the same result. This can be simpler since companies report dividends and earnings in per-share amounts.

The payout ratio is 0% for companies that do not pay dividends and is 100% for companies that pay out their entire net income as dividends.

earnings per share. Earnings per share is the amount of a company's earnings (net income) allotted to each share outstanding. Dividends per share is the portion of earnings the company's board decides to return to shareholders, usually as a cash payment.

Visa Inc (NYSE:V)

In addition to Visa, Warren Buffett also enjoys dividends from Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX), Coca-Cola Co (NYSE:KO) and American Express Company (NYSE:AXP). In its October 2023 investor letter, Lakehouse Capital stated the following regarding Visa Inc.

There are a couple of reasons that make dividend-paying stocks particularly useful. First, the income they provide can help investors meet liquidity needs. And second, dividend-focused investing has historically demonstrated the ability to help to lower volatility and buffer losses during market drawdowns.

There is no hard and fast rule for how many dividend stocks to start a portfolio, but a good starting point is to aim for a minimum of 10. This will give you a good mix of different companies and sectors and help to diversify your risk.

What is best dividend yield?

Cash dividends

These are the most common types of dividends and are paid out by transferring a cash amount to the shareholders. These dividends are usually paid on a quarterly basis, although some companies may opt for a monthly, semiannual, or one-time lump-sum payment.

It is possible to achieve financial freedom by living off dividends forever. That isn't to say it's easy, but it's possible.