Back to top

Image: Bigstock

HP (HPQ) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.

Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a 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.

HP in Focus

Based in Palo Alto, HP (HPQ - Free Report) is in the Computer and Technology sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -12.29%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.29 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 4.04%. In comparison, the Computer - Micro Computers industry's yield is 1.58%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.62%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.16 is up 5.3% from last year. Over the last 5 years, HP has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 12.22%. 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. HP's current payout ratio is 35%. This means it paid out 35% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

HPQ is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 is $3.55 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 5.03%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. But, not every company offers 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, HPQ 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).


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


HP Inc. (HPQ) - free report >>

Published in