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

FAQs

Should you have dividend stocks in your portfolio? ›

Yes, there are a lot of advantages. However, there's also a price to pay for those benefits. The most obvious advantage of dividend investing is that it gives investors extra income to use as they wish. This income can boost returns by being reinvested or withdrawn and used immediately.

There's a misconception that dividend stocks are only for retirees or risk-averse investors. That's not the case. You should consider buying dividend-paying stocks whenever you start investing to reap their long-term benefits.

Evaluate the stock

Then look at the stock's payout ratio, which tells you how much of the company's income is going toward dividends. A payout ratio that is too high — generally above 80%, though it can vary by industry — means the company is putting a large percentage of its income into paying dividends.

You Can Build a Dividend Portfolio for Regular Income

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. Target companies with Safe or Very Safe Dividend Safety Scores™

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.

“One mistake to avoid,” Cabacungan says, “is to buy a company's stock simply because it issues a high dividend.” If the company has leveraged excessive debt to fund the dividend, it could come at the expense of future profitability and hurt growth prospects.

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.

The strategy is used by investors to capitalize on dividend payments made by a stock. The goal of this strategy is to buy shares of a company just before it pays its dividend and then sell those shares shortly after receiving the dividend.

If you buy a stock one day before the ex-dividend, you will get the dividend. If you buy on the ex-dividend date or any day after, you won't get the dividend. Conversely, if you want to sell a stock and still get a dividend that has been declared, you need to hang onto it until the ex-dividend day.

Dividend stock ratios are an indicator of a company's ability to pay dividends to its shareholders in the future. The four most popular ratios are the dividend payout ratio, dividend coverage ratio, free cash flow to equity, and Net Debt to EBITDA.

What is a dividend value trap? ›

A dividend value trap occurs when a very high dividend yield attracts investors to a potentially troubled company. Not all companies that pay a high dividend yield are in trouble, but investors should question why a company is willing to pay out so much more than its peers.

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.

Along with his penchant for value investing, Buffett is known for being a great fan of companies that engage in regular share buybacks and hefty dividend payouts.

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.

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.

Advantages of Growth Stocks

Growth stocks are often less established than their dividend-paying counterparts, as they are plowing their profits back into their companies. Dividends paid will not be used to invest in expanding operations, developing new products, or making inroads in new markets.

Dividend Stocks are Always Safe

However, just because a company is producing dividends doesn't always make it a safe bet. Management can use the dividend to placate frustrated investors when the stock isn't moving. (In fact, many companies have been known to do this.)

In fact, there can be significant positives to investing in stocks without dividends. Companies that don't pay dividends on stocks are typically reinvesting the money that might otherwise go to dividend payments into the expansion and overall growth of the company.