It can seem difficult to find income options in today’s environment, but there are still opportunities available. Here’s why I think it’s worth looking at shares of SG Fleet Group Ltd (ASX: SGF), APA Group (ASX: APA) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES).
Why Dividend Shares?
One of the best things about investing in the Australian share market is the ability to generate long-term dividend income. In fact, the average dividend yield on the ASX is often much higher than its US or UK counterparts.
Another thing that makes Australian dividends so attractive is that Aussie companies often pay dividends with something called ‘franking credits’. Franking credits are like tax credits stored at the tax office (ATO) until you file your tax returns and claim them.
The following Rask Finance video explains franking credits in more detail.
Here are three ASX income shares to put on your watchlist today…
1. SG Fleet Group Ltd
SG Fleet provides motor vehicle fleet management, vehicle leasing, short term hire, consumer vehicle finance, and salary packaging services in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The company offers fleet management services, including funding options, such as operating lease/contract hire, finance lease, client sourced funding services, and more. SG Fleet has also built its own software tools to help corporate clients.
SG Fleet is probably the riskiest option on this list. It has the highest trailing dividend yield (7.4%) and its dividends are fully franked, but they were also recently cut. SG Fleet’s share price has declined since its FY19 report, where it revealed revenue was down 1.1% and profit was down 10.4%.
This decline in profit led SG Fleet to cut its dividend by around 5.5%. This did impact the share price, but it seems like the share price is starting to stabilise around a price of $2.30 to $2.40. SG Fleet is definitely a riskier option but it may be one worth considering.
2. APA Group
APA Group listed on the ASX in 2000 with just six employees and has gone on to become one of Australia’s leading energy infrastructure businesses. Today, APA has 1,800 employees, 15,400km of pipelines and a 28,900km distribution network. APA is among the largest companies on the ASX with a market capitalisation of almost $13 billion.
APA Group is a great example of an ideal dividend share. APA is a large, relatively stable company with strong share price appreciation (up 32.8% year-to-date) and an ability to consistently increase its dividends. In fact, it has increased its dividend every year since 2008.
The current trailing dividend yield is around 4.2%, and while it is only 33.5% franked, this is fairly typical for a utility company and, I would say, a fair trade for such consistent dividend growth.
3. Wesfarmers Ltd
Wesfarmers is a 100-year-old conglomerate which at various times has owned and operated some of Australia’s largest retail brands such as Kmart, Target and more. Today, its largest business is Bunnings Warehouse, the number-one DIY home improvement business.
Wesfarmers is another good example of what to look for in a dividend share. While dividend growth hasn’t been as stable as APA (there was a cut in FY16), Wesfarmers is another stable company and provides some diversification benefits to the other two companies on this list.
A favourite with many investors, Wesfarmers shares currently offer a trailing fully franked dividend yield of nearly 4.4%.
Want More Ideas?
These are just three examples, and there are plenty of other companies across countless industries that could be combined to create a well-diversified portfolio with a healthy dividend yield. For three more ASX dividend share ideas, check out the free report below.
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Disclosure: At the time of publishing, Max does not have a financial interest in any of the companies mentioned.