Why TriCo (TCBK) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio

All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.

While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the 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.

Based in Chico, TriCo (TCBK) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 1.14%. The holding company for Tri Counties Bank is paying out a dividend of $0.36 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.01% compared to the Banks - West industry's yield of 3.08% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.47%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.44 is up 4.3% from last year. Over the last 5 years, TriCo has increased its dividend 3 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 9.48%. 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. TriCo's current payout ratio is 39%, meaning it paid out 39% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

TCBK is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $4.04 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 9.19%.

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.

Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, TCBK 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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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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