Why (& When) to Consider Dividend Stocks in Your Portfolio (2024)

FAQs

Why (& When) to Consider Dividend Stocks in Your Portfolio? ›

Key Takeaways

Dividend investing can be a great investment strategy. Dividend stocks have historically outperformed the S&P 500 with less volatility. That's because dividend stocks provide two sources of return: regular income from dividend payments and capital appreciation of the stock price.

If you buy stocks one day or more before their ex-dividend date, you will still get the dividend. That's when a stock is said to trade “cum-dividend,” or “with dividend.” If you buy on the ex-dividend date or later, you won't get the dividend. The ex-dividend date is in place to allow pending stock trades to settle.

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.

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.

You Can Build a Dividend Portfolio for Regular Income

Invest no more than 25% of your portfolio in any one sector. Target companies with Safe or Very Safe Dividend Safety Scores™

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.

As part of a diversified portfolio, dividend stocks have their place. They offer relative stability, may pay increasing amounts over time and may provide steady income. But relying too heavily on dividend stocks as a primary investment approach could put you at risk and reduce your long-term investment gains.

Some of the best dividend stocks include Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), and AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV) with impressive track records of dividend growth and strong balance sheets.

Safe Dividend Stock #1

Ameriprise Financial (AMP) has a market capitalization above $30 billion, with more than 12,000 employees, and more than $1 trillion in assets under management. The company's operating segments include Advice & Wealth Management, Asset Management, Annuities, and Protection (insurance products).

How to build the best dividend portfolio? ›

If you are looking to create wealth and have a longer time horizon, staying invested in growth will enable you to enjoy longer returns. But if you are looking for a more immediate return and steady cash flow, dividend investing could be the best choice for you.

Dividend investing is a strategy that investors use to generate a steady stream of income from their investments. Dividend investing primarily involves buying stocks in companies that pay regular dividends, which are essentially payments made to shareholders out of the company's profits.

A range of 0% to 35% is considered a good payout. A payout in that range is usually observed when a company just initiates a dividend. Typical characteristics of companies in this range are “value” stocks.

The Coca-Cola Company's ( KO ) dividend yield is 3.09%, which means that for every $100 invested in the company's stock, investors would receive $3.09 in dividends per year. The Coca-Cola Company's payout ratio is 73.72% which means that 73.72% of the company's earnings are paid out as dividends.

Depending on how much money you have in those stocks or funds, their growth over time, and how much you reinvest your dividends, you could be generating enough money to live off of each year, without having any other retirement plan.

Monthly dividends make budgeting easier by providing more frequent cash flow to income investors. May 6, 2024, at 2:50 p.m. Stocks are this list reward investors with a healthy, steady flow of additional income through dividends.