There is typically a trade-off between dividend yield and dividend growth, that investors have to put up with. Generally, companies with the highest current yields tend to distribute most of their cash flows to shareholders, which leaves little room for investment in the business. This leads to low earnings growth, that trickles down into low dividend growth. Companies with low and medium sized yields however tend to disitrbute a low portion of their earnings to shareholders, with the rest reinvested in the business, thus providing fuel for future dividend increases.
There are a few companies which meet both criteria, when purchased at the right times:
Philip Morris International Inc. (PM), through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cigarettes and other tobacco products. The company expects to generate 10%- 12% annual growth in earnings through its cost reduction programs, acquiring companies internationally as well as innovating in growing markets in order to position itself favorably. Phillip Morris International will be able to keep increasing dividends at the high single digit percentage points in the foreseeable future, while paying an above average yield of 3.60% today. (analysis)
ONEOK, Inc. (OKE), a diversified energy company, engages in the gathering, processing, storage, and transportation of natural gas in the United States. The company operates through three segments: ONEOK Partners, Natural Gas Distribution, and Energy Services. The company enjoys strong performance in its ONEOK Partners (OKS) segment, which has resulted in increased distributions to ONEOK from the partnership. In addition, the company has been able to generate strong cash flow from its natural gas distribution segment. ONEOK indicated in September 2011 that it expects to increase its dividend 50 percent by 2014 and affirmed a long-term dividend payout target of 60 percent to 70 percent of recurring earnings, subject to board of directors' approval. ONEOK announced today it is considering increasing its July 2012 dividend above the 4-cent-increase it provided in September 2011. Yield: 3% (analysis)
Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) owns and operates energy transportation and storage assets in the United States and Canada. The company operates in six segments: Products Pipelines-KMP, Natural Gas Pipelines—KMP, CO2—KMP, Terminals—KMP, Kinder Morgan Canada—KMP, and NGPL PipeCo LLC. The company expects its acquisition of El Paso to be completed by May 2012. This combination will lead to synergies and cost savings of approximately $350 million/year. As a result of this transaction and KMI’s normal expected annual growth, KMI still expects its dividend per share to grow at an average annual rate of around 12.5 percent through 2015 from its budgeted 2011 dividend per share of $1.16. The growth of KMI is being driven by Kinder Morgan Partners (KMP), which expects to declare cash distributions of $4.98 per unit for 2012, an 8 percent increase over the $4.61 per unit it will distribute for 2011. Yield: 3.30% (analysis)
Full Disclosure: Long PM, OKS, KMR and KMI
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