Why NRG Energy (NRG) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio

All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.

Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, 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 make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.

NRG Energy in Focus

Based in Princeton, NRG Energy (NRG) is in the Utilities sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -25.74%. The power company is paying out a dividend of $0.3 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 4.07% compared to the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield of 3.56% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.69%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.20 is up 900% from last year. NRG Energy has increased its dividend 1 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 0.77%. 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. NRG's current payout ratio is 28%, meaning it paid out 28% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

NRG is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 is $5.45 per share, with earnings expected to increase 37.63% from the year ago period.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. However, not all companies offer a quarterly payout.

For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that NRG is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

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