By Lawrence C. Strauss
The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index is a reliable place to look for income. Its 68 constituents, such as Johnson & Johnson, Target, and Kimberly-Clark, have paid out a higher dividend for at least 25 straight years.
But it's not the only dividend growth index in town. The S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index allows investors to cast an even wider net.
Its 133 members have boosted their dividends for at least 20 straight years, a consistent long-term achievement and a good starting point for those looking to broaden their dividend stock portfolios. Unlike the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, the latter index also encompasses small- and mid-cap stocks.
"Across all market caps, dividends represent a long-term commitment by management to investors," says Mark Freeman, chief investment officer of Socorro Asset Management. "There are numerous smaller- and mid-cap-sized companies that offer attractive dividend opportunities."
To be clear, the high-yield Aristocrats index includes the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats stocks as well 65 other large, mid-, and small-cap names. The latter group includes Texas Instruments (large-cap), Casey's General Stores (mid-cap), and Franklin Electric (small-cap).
Those companies have increased their dividends for 21, 25, and 32 consecutive years, respectively -- all impressive records.
Texas Instruments, which makes analog chips, yields 2.6% and has returned about 30% this year through Nov. 11, including dividends, a little ahead of the S&P 500 index over that period. Franklin Electric, which makes various water and energy systems, such as monitoring assets on the electric grid, yields 0.9%, and Casey's yields 0.5%.
Shares of Franklin Electric have returned about 15% so far in 2024, and Casey's has spiked by around 50%.
Simeon Hyman, global investment strategist at ProShares, says that there are plenty of attractive smaller-cap companies that grow their dividends.
"Among the cool things about focusing on dividend growth is you get higher quality -- and companies that make money," he says, contrasting that with small-cap companies that aren't profitable.
Roughly 40% of the companies in the Russell 2000 index, a key small-cap stock benchmark, do not make a profit.
At the same time, there are risks with smaller-cap companies that pay dividends, which means that investors need to do their homework.
"As one moves down in market capitalization, investors should be aware that the underlying sustainability and visibility of earnings tend to become more variable," says Freeman. Dividend growth follows earnings growth, up and down.
Freeman adds that some of these smaller companies have a lot of debt, potentially making their dividends less of a priority when it comes to allocating capital. Still, at least two decades of dividend growth, which the S&P High Yield Aristocrats boast, is a good starting point.
One way to play that index directly is via the SPDR S&P Dividend exchange-traded fund (ticker: SDY). The $21.5 billion fund has an expense ratio of 0.35%, according to Morningstar.
The stocks in the underlying index are weighted by dividend yield. It has returned 15.6% this year, compared with nearly 14% for the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats.
One thing to remember, though, is that by investing in the index, investors aren't getting a lot of direct exposure to smaller-cap stocks in terms of weightings. The S&P High Yield Aristocrats Index is dominated by larger-cap names, its smaller-cap constituents notwithstanding, according to FactSet.
For investors looking for a purer exposure to small-cap dividend growers, one option is the ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF (SMDV), which holds about 100 stocks and has an expense ratio of 0.4%.
That ETF looks for companies with a track record of at least 10 straight years of dividend growth. The stocks are culled from the Russell 2000 index. Holdings include Trinity Industries, which yields 2.9%, and asset manager Cohen & Steers, at 2.3%.
Not all of stocks in that ETF sport yields that high, but they have been increasing their payouts every year. Dividend growth stocks, after all, often don't sport high yields, but the regular increases can be a nice sweetener.
Another advantage for smaller-cap stocks these days is that they are generally cheaper than large-cap names. "So you might as well take the high-quality ones" among small-caps, says Hyman, pointing to dividend growers in that space.
Besides the aforementioned stocks in the high yield Aristocrats index, some other names to consider include Avista, SJW Group, and American States Water, all small-caps with long histories of consistent dividend growth.
Electric and gas utility Avista, which yields 5%, has boosted its dividend for 22 straight years. The shares have returned about 10% this year.
SJW Group, whose operations include water utilities, yields 2.9%. It has raised its dividend for more than 50 straight years. The stock is off about 12% this year.
American States Water, which yields 2.2%, has boosted its dividend for 70 straight years. Its total return this year is 9%.
Socorro's Freeman says it's important to look for smaller-cap stocks that combine an attractive yield with good earnings growth potential. "That is one area where smaller/mid-sized companies have an advantage over typically more mature and slower growing large-cap stocks," he says.
Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices, says the high-yield Aristocrats offers protection to investors. "The bottom line is holders get to sleep more at night, as they get a few extra dollars of income," he says.
That's a good place to be in pretty much any kind of market.
Write to Lawrence C. Strauss at lawrence.strauss@barrons.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 15, 2024 21:30 ET (02:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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