Why Equinix (EQIX) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now

All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. 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 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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.

Equinix in Focus

Based in Redwood City, Equinix (EQIX) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -31.56%. The data center operator is paying out a dividend of $3.1 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.14% compared to the REIT and Equity Trust - Retail industry's yield of 4.93% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.78%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $12.40 is up 8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Equinix has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 8.39%. 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. Equinix's current payout ratio is 44%, meaning it paid out 44% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

EQIX is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $29.01 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 7.01%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.

High-growth firms or tech start-ups, for example, rarely provide their shareholders a dividend, while larger, more established companies that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options. 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, EQIX 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).

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