What is a good dividend yield?
Yields from 2% to 6% are generally considered to be a good dividend yield, but there are plenty of factors to consider when deciding if a stock's yield makes it a good investment. Your own investment goals should also play a big role in deciding what a good dividend yield is for you.
As a rule of thumb, dividend yields of between 2% and 5% are considered strong, and anything above this can be a good buy but may also come with risks attached.
The dividend yield is a financial ratio that tells you the percentage of a company's share price that it pays out in dividends each year. For example, if a company has a $20 share price and pays a dividend of $1 per year, its dividend yield would be 5%.
PSU stocks such as GAIL Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC), Coal India Ltd, BPCL, ONGC Ltd and Oil India have high dividend yields in the 4-5 per cent range. RITES, Power Grid, CPCL, Balmer Lawrie & Company Ltd, Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and NFL, among others, offer a dividend yield of 3 per cent each.
In a market that generates a 2% annual yield, you would need to invest $600,000 up front in order to reliably generate $12,000 per year (or $1,000 per month) in dividend payments.
Generally speaking, double-digit dividend yields are indeed too good to be true. They are often either being paid by unstable companies, or simply represent too much of a company's earnings to be sustainable. Of course, there are some exceptions.
“Companies that have consistently increased their dividends tend to be more stable, higher quality businesses, which historically have weathered downturns and are more likely to have the ability to pay dividends consistently.”
It is possible to achieve financial freedom by living off dividends forever. That isn't to say it's easy, but it's possible. Those starting from nothing admittedly have a hard road to retirement-enabling passive income.
Company | Dividend Yield |
---|---|
Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp (BGFV) | 18.70% |
Ready Capital Corp (RC) | 13.68% |
Arbor Realty Trust Inc. (ABR) | 13.52% |
Dynex Capital, Inc. (DX) | 12.64% |
- 3M Company (MMM) 3M manufactures a variety of products that are used by businesses and consumers alike. ...
- Verizon Communications (VZ) ...
- Dow Inc. ...
- Chevron (CVX) ...
- International Business Machines (IBM) ...
- Cisco Systems (CSCO) ...
- Coca-Cola (KO) ...
- Amgen (AMGN)
Do I want a high dividend yield?
Key Takeaways. Many investors look to dividend-paying stocks to generate income in addition to capital gains. A high dividend yield, however, may not always be a good sign, since the company is returning so much of its profits to investors (rather than growing the company.)
While the dividend rate shows the absolute amount of dividend paid per share, the dividend yield factors in the stock's current price, offering a more insightful measure of the return on investment.
The dividend yield measures how much income has been received relative to the share price; a higher yield is more attractive, while a lower yield can make a stock seem less competitive relative to its industry.
All the companies must have raised dividends for at least five years in a row. High forecasted earnings growth. To increase the likelihood that dividends will continue to grow in the future, analysts expect earnings to grow by at least 8% per year over the next five years and at least 8% in the current year.
- Coca-Cola (KO) Source: Coca-Cola. ...
- Chevron (CVX) Source: LesPalenik / Shutterstock.com. ...
- Schwab US Dividend Equity (SCHD) Source: iQoncept/shutterstock.com.
Dividends are often a preferred investment for those who want to earn income from their investments, and potentially get a high return when they eventually sell. Take note: While dividend investing can be beneficial, there are other investment strategies to consider.
But the truth is you can get a 9.5% yield today--and even more. But even at 9.5%, we're talking about a middle-class income of $4,000 per month on an investment of just a touch over $500K. Below, I'll reveal how to start building a portfolio that could get you an even bigger income stream than this today.
Ticker | Name | Dividend Safety |
---|---|---|
ENB | Enbridge | Safe |
EPD | Enterprise Products Partners | Safe |
VZ | Verizon | Safe |
WHR | Whirlpool | Borderline Safe |
Dividends can be classified either as ordinary or qualified. Whereas ordinary dividends are taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividends that meet certain requirements are taxed at lower capital gain rates.
S.No. | Name | CMP Rs. |
---|---|---|
1. | Kesar India | 3908.55 |
2. | Sical Logistics | 220.00 |
3. | SG Mart | 535.60 |
4. | Jai Balaji Inds. | 1279.95 |
How much do I need to invest to get 500 a month in dividends?
Shares of public companies that split profits with shareholders by paying cash dividends yield between 2% and 6% a year. With that in mind, putting $250,000 into low-yielding dividend stocks or $83,333 into high-yielding shares will get your $500 a month.
To generate $5,000 per month in dividends, you would need a portfolio value of approximately $1 million invested in stocks with an average dividend yield of 5%. For example, Johnson & Johnson stock currently yields 2.7% annually. $1 million invested would generate about $27,000 per year or $2,250 per month.
A well-constructed dividend portfolio could potentially yield anywhere from 2% to 8% per year. This means, to earn $3,000 monthly from dividend stocks, the required initial investment could range from $450,000 to $1.8 million, depending on the yield. Furthermore, potential capital gains can add to your total returns.
Stock | Dividend yield* |
---|---|
3M Co. (MMM) | 6.5% |
Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) | 6.6% |
AT&T Inc. (T) | 6.7% |
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) | 6.7% |
One downside to investing in stocks for the dividend is an eventual cap on returns. The dividend stock may pay out a sizable rate of return, but even the highest yielding stocks with any sort of stability don't pay out more than ~10% annually in today's low interest rate environment, except in rare circ*mstances.