Up to date on March twenty ninth, 2024 by Bob Ciura

Buyers on the lookout for high-quality dividend development shares ought to focus, partly, on corporations that preserve lengthy histories of dividend will increase.

Regular dividend raises from yr to yr, whatever the financial local weather, is an indication of an organization with sturdy aggressive benefits and long-term development potential.

With that in thoughts, yearly, we assessment every of the Dividend Aristocrats, a gaggle of 68 corporations within the S&P 500 Index, with 25+ consecutive years of dividend will increase.

You may obtain your copy of the Dividend Aristocrats listing, together with necessary metrics like dividend yields and price-to-earnings ratios, by clicking on the hyperlink under:

Disclaimer: Positive Dividend shouldn’t be affiliated with S&P International in any method. S&P International owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The knowledge on this article and downloadable spreadsheet is predicated on Positive Dividend’s personal assessment, abstract, and evaluation of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and different sources, and is supposed to assist particular person buyers higher perceive this ETF and the index upon which it’s based mostly. Not one of the info on this article or spreadsheet is official knowledge from S&P International. Seek the advice of S&P International for official info.

The following Dividend Aristocrat within the collection is healthcare big Medtronic (MDT).

Medtronic has a formidable historical past of dividend development. The corporate has elevated its dividend for 46 years in a row. With an roughly 3.2% yield, Medtronic shouldn’t be precisely a high-yield inventory.

Nevertheless, the inventory’s yield continues to be greater than the common yield of the S&P 500.

And, Medtronic usually raises its dividend at a excessive fee annually, because of its sturdy earnings and management place inside the medical units {industry}.

These qualities make Medtronic a pretty dividend development inventory for long-term buyers.

Enterprise Overview

Medtronic was based in 1949 as a medical tools restore store by Earl Bakken and his brother-in-law, Palmer Hermundslie. Immediately, Medtronic is among the largest healthcare corporations on the planet.

Medtronic PLC is the biggest producer of biomedical units and implantable applied sciences on the planet. Medtronic at the moment has 4 working segments: Cardiovascular, Neuroscience, Medical Surgical, and Diabetes.

In mid-February, Medtronic reported (2/20/24) monetary outcomes for the third quarter of fiscal yr 2024.

Supply: Investor Presentation

Natural income grew 5% over the prior yr’s quarter because of broad-based development in all of the 4 segments. Earnings-per-share remained flat at $1.30 resulting from an -8% foreign money headwind however exceeded the analysts’ consensus by $0.04.

Because of improved enterprise momentum, Medtronic raised its steerage for fiscal 2024. It expects 4.75%-5.0% natural income development (vs. 4.75% beforehand) and earnings-per-share of $5.19-$5.21.

Development Prospects

Medtronic is investing in development, each organically by way of R&D and thru acquisitions. The primary catalyst for Medtronic is the ageing inhabitants. There are ~70 million Child Boomers within the U.S., these aged 51-69 years. 1000’s of persons are getting into retirement day by day. Mixed with longer life expectancy and rising healthcare spending, the working setting could be very enticing for Medtronic.

The corporate has had many regulatory product approvals up to now yr. The brand new merchandise ought to drive development, permitting the corporate to take care of and even acquire market share.

Supply: Investor Presentation

Medtronic additionally has a serious development alternative in new geographic markets. Particularly, Medtronic has a presence in a number of rising markets, comparable to China, India, Africa, and extra. These international locations have giant populations and excessive financial development charges.

Medtronic’s rising market income has constantly grown at a double-digit fee for a few years. Whereas the U.S. at the moment accounts for simply over half of Medtronic’s income, rising markets are rising quicker.

Medtronic is buying tuck-in acquisitions and has spent greater than $3.3 billion on 9 acquisitions since 2021. These corporations embrace Acutus Medical, Medicrea, RIST, Avenu Medical, Companion Medical, Sonarmed, intersect ENT, AFFERA, and AI Biomed.

General, we anticipate Medtronic to develop its earnings-per-share by 7.0% per yr on common till 2029.

Aggressive Benefits & Recession Efficiency

The principle aggressive benefit for Medtronic is its analysis and improvement capabilities. The corporate spends closely on R&D annually, which offers it with product innovation. Medtronic’s R&D investments over the previous few years exceed $2 billion annually.

The results of all this spending is that the corporate has an enormous mental property portfolio with almost 86,000 awarded patents. This truth has allowed Medtronic to construct a powerful product pipeline throughout every of its enterprise segments.

As well as, Medtronic advantages tremendously from its international scale. The corporate operates in over 140 international locations around the globe. It has the operational flexibility to generate industry-leading revenue margins, which helps gas its development.

One other aggressive benefit for Medtronic is that it operates in a defensive {industry}. Customers usually can’t forego medical remedies, even when the economic system is in recession.

Medtronic’s earnings-per-share in the course of the Nice Recession are as follows:

2007 earnings-per-share of $2.61
2008 earnings-per-share of $2.92 (12% improve)
2009 earnings-per-share of $3.22 (10% improve)
2010 earnings-per-share of $3.37 (5% improve)

Medtronic had the uncommon achievement of earnings development annually in the course of the recession. The corporate additionally confirmed outstanding power in the course of the pandemic. This demonstrates its recession-resistant enterprise mannequin.

Medtronic ought to be capable of proceed rising its dividend annually in each financial recessions and expansions.

Valuation & Anticipated Returns

Based mostly on the latest share worth of ~$87 and anticipated earnings-per-share of $5.20 in fiscal 2024, Medtronic inventory trades for a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.7. The inventory’s present valuation is under that of the broader S&P 500 Index and modestly under its long-term common.

Within the final decade, shares of Medtronic have traded palms at a mean price-to-earnings ratio of 17.0. We imagine that it is a honest valuation baseline.

Consequently, Medtronic shares seem like barely undervalued right now. If the inventory valuation expands to our honest worth estimate by 2029, the corresponding a number of enlargement will enhance shareholder returns by roughly 0.4% per yr over this era.

We anticipate 7% annual earnings development for Medtronic via 2029, and the inventory has a 3.2% dividend yield. There may be loads of room for continued dividend will increase annually.

With a dividend payout ratio of simply over 50%, and a optimistic earnings development outlook, Medtronic ought to proceed its streak of annual dividend will increase.

Complete returns would encompass the next:

7.0% earnings development fee
0.4% a number of enlargement
3.2% dividend yield

Medtronic is predicted to return 10.6% yearly over the subsequent 5 years. That is a pretty potential fee of return, giving the inventory a purchase score.

Ultimate Ideas

Medtronic has just about all the qualities dividend development buyers ought to search for. It possesses a extremely worthwhile enterprise, a management place in its core markets, and long-term development potential. It additionally has a number of catalysts for future development and the power to continue to grow its dividend even throughout recessions.

Medtronic has elevated its dividend for greater than 4 a long time, which is very spectacular given the continued headwinds from a troublesome macroeconomic setting.

Medtronic inventory seems to offer a compelling funding alternative for long-term dividend development buyers.

Moreover, the next Positive Dividend databases include essentially the most dependable dividend growers in our funding universe:

When you’re on the lookout for shares with distinctive dividend traits, think about the next Positive Dividend databases: