NiSource (NI) Could Be a Great Choice

Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.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.Based in Merrillville, NiSource (NI) is in the Utilities sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 15.4%. The energy holding company is paying out a dividend of $0.60 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.49% compared to the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield of 2.78% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.43%.Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.20 is up 7.1% from last year. Over the last 5 years, NiSource has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.29%. 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. NiSource's current payout ratio is 59%, meaning it paid out 59% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.NI is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $2.05 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 7.89%.From greatly improving stock investing profits and reducing overall portfolio risk to providing tax advantages, investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons. 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 its 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. With that in mind, NI 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).7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.9% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks