Finding the bet dividend stock can be a tricky process. Where do you start? The list of dividend stocks is endless but here are four that could be a great fit for your portfolio.
Long-term dividend play
Standard Life (LSE: SL) is one of my favourite dividend stocks. As a pensions and savings provider, the company has an extremely long-term business model and predictable cash flows, giving management a clear picture of where the company is heading. And with this forecast in place, Standard’s management is able to set the company’s dividend at the highest and most sustainable level for the group without endangering growth.
Standard’s shares currently support a dividend yield of 6.1% and the payout is covered 1.3 times by earnings per share. The shares trade at a forward P/E of 11.5 and City analysts have pencilled-in earnings per share growth of 94% for 2016.
Passive income stocks: our picks
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Boring business, exciting payout
Selling sofas may not be the most exciting business but when it comes to dividends, shares in SCS (LSE: SCS) support one of the most exciting dividend yields around.
Indeed, for the year ending 31 July 2016, City analysts expect the company to pay a dividend to shareholders of 14p per share, which equates to a yield of 7% at current prices. The shares currently trade at a forward P/E of 10.7 and the payout is covered 1.3 times by earnings per share.
Analysts have pencilled-in earnings per share growth of 35% for the year ending 31 July with further earnings growth of 12% projected for next year.
Under pressure but payout secure
Games Workshop (LSE: GAW) has been a dividend champion for some time but a recent deterioration in trading has put off some investors. However, after recent declines the company’s shares currently support a dividend yield of 7.4%. While current forecasts suggest this payout will only be covered 1.1 times by earnings per share, at the end of November 2015, Games Workshop had no debt and cash of £8m on its balance sheet, giving the company plenty of financial flexibility.
Further, even though current City forecasts are calling for the company’s earnings per share to fall by 1% this year, the group recently announced that trading for the year is running ahead of market expectations. Shares in Games Workshop currently trade at a forward P/E of 12.4.
One to avoid?
Shares in Centrica (LSE: CNA) currently support an eye-catching dividend yield of 5.7% but investors should be wary of this payout.
To cope will falling oil and gas prices, the company cut its dividend payout last year, a move that caught a lot of shareholders off guard. But this payout cut wasn’t enough and earlier this year the company announced a placing to raise just under £800m to fund several acquisitions and pay down debt. However, some City analysts also pointed out that around half of the cash raised from this placing would be returned to shareholders via the company’s regular dividend. In other words, Centrica is returning the majority of cash it raised to investors back to shareholders via its regular dividend rather than investing the cash in the business.
The question is, will Centrica be able to sustain its current dividend without further cash infusions?
