This is Why Middlesex Water (MSEX) is a Great Dividend Stock

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.While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a 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.Middlesex Water in FocusHeadquartered in Iselin, Middlesex Water (MSEX) is a Utilities stock that has seen a price change of 12.05% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.34 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.31%. In comparison, the Utility - Water Supply industry's yield is 2.65%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.56%.Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $1.36 is up 3.4% from last year. Middlesex Water has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 6.20%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Middlesex Water's current payout ratio is 55%, meaning it paid out 55% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.Earnings growth looks solid for MSEX for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 is $2.50 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 1.21%.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 have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that MSEX is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Only $1 to See All Zacks' Buys and SellsWe're not kidding.Several years ago, we shocked our members by offering them 30-day access to all our picks for the total sum of only $1. No obligation to spend another cent.Thousands have taken advantage of this opportunity. Thousands did not - they thought there must be a catch. Yes, we do have a reason. We want you to get acquainted with our portfolio services like Surprise Trader, Stocks Under $10, Technology Innovators,and more, that closed 256 positions with double- and triple-digit gains in 2024 alone.See Stocks Now >>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 Middlesex Water Company (MSEX): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks