Prediction: 9% Dividend Yield Stock Will Pay More in 2024

This top business development company has been around for years and looks like an outstanding candidate to raise its dividend this year.

Published August 16, 2024, 8:13am ET · 3 min read

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

A close-up of a person wearing a blue jacket and red tie, with their finger pointing at a holographic display. The display features interconnected white hexagonal icons on a dark background. The central hexagon clearly displays the word 'DIVIDENDS'. Other hexagons show icons such as a pie chart with a percentage and dollar sign, a briefcase next to a calculator, and stacks of coins with upward-pointing arrows, symbolizing growth.
A professional interacts with a digital display illustrating key aspects of dividend investing, such as percentage yield, financial planning, and growing returns. This visual metaphor highlights the strategic considerations explored in comparing dividend growth ETFs like VIG and DGRO. © Panchenko Vladimir / Shutterstock.com

24/7 Wall St. Insights

Dividend stocks are a favorite among investors for good reason. They provide a steady income stream and offer a promising avenue for total return. Total return, a comprehensive measure of investment performance, encompasses interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over time.

For example, if you buy a stock at $20 that pays a 3% dividend, and it goes up to $22 in a year, your total return is 13%. That is, 10% for the increase in stock price and 3% for the dividends paid.

One critical aspect for growth and income investors when selecting stocks for their portfolios is the safety and security of a company’s dividend and the prospect of the dividend being increased regularly. We decided to screen top blue-chip companies, looking for those increasing their dividends this year and beyond.

We located a top business development company (BDC) that has been around for years and looks like an outstanding candidate to raise the dividend paid to shareholders as early as the fourth quarter of this year. Also, dividend investors should jump on this free report today.

Why do we cover dividend stocks?

relif / Getty Images

Dividend stocks provide investors with reliable streams of passive income. Passive income is characterized by its ability to generate revenue without requiring the earner’s continuous active effort, making it a desirable financial strategy for those seeking to diversify their income streams or achieve financial independence.

Ares Capital is a top BDC

BDC

SARINYAPINNGAM / iStock via Getty Images

According to its website, Ares Capital Corp. (NASDAQ: ARCC | ARCC Price Prediction) is a market-leading BDC and one of the largest direct lenders in the United States. The company’s dynamic global platform combines powerful origination capabilities and extensive knowledge to deliver comprehensive solutions to meet private middle-market companies’ distinct and underserved financing needs across a wide range of industries.

Experienced market professionals run this high-yield dividend giant

BDC

Cecilie_Arcurs / Getty Images

The top members of the company’s Investment Committee have an average of 31 years of relevant financial and industry experience. This is very positive for investors as the company has a wide swath of investments over multiple categories.

What does Ares Capital focus on?

BDC

Panasevich / iStock via Getty Images

Ares Capital specializes in acquisitions, recapitalizations, mezzanine debt, restructurings, rescue financing, and leveraged buyout transactions of middle-market companies. It also provides growth capital and general refinancing. The company prefers to invest in companies engaged in basic and growth manufacturing, business services, consumer products, health care products and services, and information technology service sectors.

The dividend has fluctuated over the years while going higher

ShutterstockProfessional / Shutterstock.com

The company has paid out $0.48 per quarter since March 2023, which actually dropped from the fourth quarter of 2022, when investors were paid $0.51. Ares Capital has paid dividends consistently since 2004 and has increased its dividend yearly since 2010. The company’s next dividend is scheduled for September 30, 2024. The current dividend yield for investors at recent closing prices is 9.19%.

Falling interest rates could mean a dividend increase soon

Andrew Burton / Getty Images

With the potential for interest rates to start heading lower as soon as September, Ares Capital may soon be in the position to lift the current payout to shareholders. As the cost of capital starts to decrease margins on the debt the company holds could widen providing ample room to lift the payout. Plus, it’s a very good bet the company would like to continue its streak of yearly dividend increases to shareholders.

Six Dividend Kings Every Passive Income Investor Should Own

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Lee Jackson

Lee Jackson has covered Wall Street analysts' equity and debt research and equity strategy daily for 24/7 Wall St. since 2012. His broad, diverse career, including a stint as creative services director at an NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas, gives him unique insight into the financial industry.

Lee Jackson's journey in the financial industry spans more than 30 years, including nearly two decades as an institutional equity salesperson at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley. His career spanned pivotal sell-side Wall Street events, from the dot-com rise and bubble to the Long-Term Capital Management debacle, 9/11, and the Great Recession of 2008. This reflects his resilience and adaptability amid market volatility.

Lee Jackson’s practical financial industry experience, gained through a career at some of the biggest banks and brokerage firms, is complemented by a lifetime of writing across various platforms. This unique combination allows him to shed light on the intricacies of Wall Street in a way only someone with deep insider experience and knowledge can. Moreover, his extensive network across Wall Street continues to provide direct access for him and 24/7 Wall St., a privilege few firms enjoy.

Since 2012, Jackson’s work for 24/7 Wall St. has been featured in Barron’s, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Business Insider, TradingView, Real Money, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Benzinga, and other media outlets. He attended the prestigious Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and has a degree in broadcasting from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

All articles →