Ryman Hospitality Properties (RHP) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?

Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. However, 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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.Ryman Hospitality Properties in FocusHeadquartered in Nashville, Ryman Hospitality Properties (RHP) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of -0.55% so far this year. The hotel and resort real estate investment trust is currently shelling out a dividend of $1.1 per share, with a dividend yield of 4.02%. This compares to the REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry's yield of 4.16% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.54%.In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $4.40 is up 14.3% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Ryman Hospitality Properties has increased its dividend 3 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 7.49%. Any future dividend growth will depend on both earnings growth and the company's payout ratio; a payout ratio is the proportion of a firm's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Ryman Hospitality Properties's current payout ratio is 54%, meaning it paid out 54% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.Looking at this fiscal year, RHP expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $8.38 per share, with earnings expected to increase 3.58% from the year ago period.Bottom LineInvestors 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.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. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, RHP 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).Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockIt's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (RHP): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks