Shares play an important role in a balanced investment portfolio and they can generate a return on investment in two ways – through income in the form of dividends, or capital growth.
In an ideal world, you would invest in companies that pay consistently high dividends and record consistently high capital growth, and while it’s possible for companies to sometimes combine the two, most are seen as either income or growth options.
These are companies that reliably pay a high percentage of their earnings as dividends to shareholders. They are often in mature industries with relatively consistent sources of revenue but moderate or slow growth.
Examples include utility companies, because customers are likely to use a similar amount of gas or electricity year on year.
Companies of this nature are not likely to offer the opportunity for high growth and so they aim to keep shareholders satisfied with reliable, regular and generous dividend payments.
Australian banks and telecoms companies are also recognised for paying dividends. When lots of investors are attracted to income stocks, when interest rates are low for example, their share prices can rise faster, meaning they deliver capital growth too.
However, this trend has the potential to be reversed if interest rates rise.
It is now also possible to buy exchange traded funds that provide exposure to a range of high dividend paying companies.
These are companies focused on expansion, offering the potential for capital growth as share prices follow earnings and profit higher. However, their share prices can be more volatile because earnings are less predictable.
They are more inclined to reinvest earnings into product research and development, entering new markets or acquiring other businesses in order to grow.
This leaves less money, if any, available for dividends.
A company investing heavily to expand in pursuit of exponential market share or sales growth might be labelled an ‘emerging’ or ‘aggressive’ growth company.
Several years later it might begin to use some of its earnings to pay a modest dividend. At that stage, it might be considered an ‘established’ growth company.
Original article published at CommSec.com.au
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This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you. Consider the product disclosure statement and target market determination before making a purchase decision. Canstar provides an information service. It is not a credit provider, and in giving you information about credit products Canstar is not making any suggestion or recommendation to you about a particular credit product. Research provided by Canstar Research AFSL and Australian Credit Licence No. 437917.