Never underestimate the power of dividends. For example, consider the S&P 500 index. Since 2000, it has increased by a little over 150%. But if you include reinvested dividends, the S&P 500’s total return is nearly twice as high at 280%. Dividends have a huge impact on how much investors make over the long run. The additional benefits often are even more spectacular with individual stocks.
There are plenty of great dividend stocks on the market. Different investors could find different dividend stocks more to their liking. But if I could buy only one dividend stock right now, it would be Brookfield Renewable (NYSE:BEP) (NYSE:BEPC).
A rose by any other name
Technically, Brookfield Renewable doesn’t claim to pay a dividend. With its roots as a limited partnership (LP), the company prefers calling the money it returns to shareholders a distribution. But as Shakespeare wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
I think most investors would agree that Brookfield Renewable’s distribution smells sweet indeed. The renewable energy company has increased its distribution by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6% over the last 20 years. It’s in a strong position to continue boosting its payout for a long time to come.
You might be wondering, “What’s the yield?” The answer is a little more complicated than you’d expect. There are actually two ways to buy Brookfield Renewable, and they offer different distribution yields.
For most of its history, the company was strictly a limited partnership and went by the name Brookfield Renewable Partners. And it’s still an LP trading under the ticker BEP. Its distribution yield currently stands at 2.94%.
Earlier this year, though, the company created Brookfield Renewable Corporation. It’s structured as a traditional corporation and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BEPC. This renewable energy stock offers a distribution yield of 2.27%.
There’s only one underlying business. The new stock listed this year was a way for Brookfield Renewable to make itself more attractive to investors who didn’t want to deal with some of the tax hassles of owning part of an LP. BEP and BEPC pay the same distribution amount. Their yields are different only because their share prices are different.
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