In a recent article I ran the rule over InterContinental Hotels and explained why it’s a great share for dividend hunters to load up today.
But why stop there? There’s a galaxy of great income stocks that could make you a fortune. If you’ve got a couple of grand to splash out I believe that Reckitt Benckiser Group (LSE: RB) is another great dividend grower from the FTSE 100 to seriously consider buying.
Scintillating sales growth
The household goods maker is a firm I’ve long liked because of the reverence in which labels like Nurofen painkillers, Strepsils lozenges and Finish dishwasher tablets are held by consumers, as well as the broad product suite that allows Reckitt to ride out falling demand in one or two categories and still keep growing annual profits.
I also like the Footsie firm’s vast geographic footprint spanning the globe, adding another layer of security to its earnings prospects and therefore reinforcing its ability to keep raising dividends year after year too. Moreover, I particularly like its weighty exposure to emerging markets where increasingly-populous, wealthy and brand-savvy consumers are already snapping up its premium products in their droves.
Latest financials released this week showed that in the final quarter of 2018 like-for-like sales in developing markets for Reckitt’s Health and Hygiene Home units rose 7% and 11% respectively. In the Asian powerhouse of China, it reported another “strong performance” from key brands like Durex and Dettol, while in other critical emerging nations like India and Brazil the Footsie firm saw underlying sales soar by double-digit percentages across both the Health and Hygiene Home divisions.
Check out this 6% yielder
The enduring appeal of Reckitt’s so-called Powerbrands across the globe underpinned another year of earnings progression in 2018, and this prompted the business to again lift the full-year dividend 4% to 170.9p per share.
And with City analysts predicting additional profits improvements to the tune of 4% in 2019 and 7% in 2020, dividends are expected to remain on a northwards path. Payouts of 180.8p and 194.5p per share are predicted for this year and next respectively, projections that yield a decent 2.9% and 3.1%.
Reckitt Benckiser has all the tools to keep growing dividends long into the future too, underpinned by that exceptional, and wide, product portfolio and the company’s commitment to innovation therein. But if you’re looking for big yields straight away then GVC Holdings (LSE: GVC) may well be your thing — the firm carries monster yields of 5.6% for this year and 6% for 2020.
Changes to gambling regulations in the US may have implications for the FTSE 100 firm’s long-term growth outlook, but I believe the rate at which online gaming continues to grow still offers brilliant profits opportunities for GVC in the years ahead (total net gaming revenues generated online soared 19% in 2018).
City analysts believe this bright picture will encourage GVC to keep growing dividends over the next couple of years and to pay big rewards of 34.4p and 36.4p per share in 2019. I fully expect shareholder rewards to continue ripping higher as global revenues spring higher, and particularly those generated via cyberspace, and believe that heavy share price weakness since the summer provides a splendid dip-buying opportunity.