These are tough times for investors, and no one knows how bad it will get. But great investments are made from investing in the best businesses at the scariest times. Eventually this panic will end and business values will come shining through.
In other words, we've certainly got the scary times -- now we just need to find the best businesses.
And I think I've found one. Before I reveal its name, say you're a typical investor, expecting 9%-10% nominal returns from the stock market based on historical results. Do you know where those stock market returns have come from?
Aside from a clever answer like long-haul winner Church & Dwight
But amazingly, earnings growth has been responsible for only half of the market's return. The other half? Dividends.
Jack Bogle, the renowned index-fund guru and creator of the Vanguard index funds, says that dividends have accounted for 5 percentage points of the market's 9.5% average annual return over the past century.
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That's right, half the market's returns came from dividends. If you didn't own any dividend payers, the average return you could expect was only 4.5%, which, after inflation takes another 3 percentage points, leaves you with a 1.5% annualized real return before fees.
But a number of the big names don't pay any dividends -- for example, neither Amazon.com
The perfect stock
But back to that perfect stock. By now you might be guessing where I'm going with this -- and you'd be right. My perfect stock pays a dividend, and a hefty one at that. Not only that, it's almost quadrupled its dividend payment over the past four years.
Although dividends are a key component of greatness, a dividend alone does not perfection make. The perfect stock would also have:
- Sustainable competitive advantages.
- Strong growth potential.
- Strong free cash flow generation.
- A valuation at a deep discount to its historical multiples.
So what is this perfect stock? None other than Pacific Airport Group, the owner of 50-year concessions to manage 12 airports in Mexico, including Guadalajara, Tijuana, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta.
Because of the barriers to opening new airports, it operates as a virtual monopoly. It throws off loads of free cash, and, because air travel correlates to GDP growth, long-term economic growth means long-term growth for the airline industry.
In other words, this is an investment for the long haul.
The bounce back is inevitable
It's currently trading at just more than $18 a share, down from a 52-week high of $50. This equates to 8 times trailing earnings, compared to an average multiple over the past two years of 32 to 33. Stocks are pushed down for good reasons and for bad, so what's the story?
Mexican passenger traffic has slowed from double-digit growth last year to double-digit declines in August, September, and October. Many of the low-cost airlines that were stimulating the market are experiencing difficulties with rising costs. And Pacific Airport Group's dividend is tied to its earnings, which could weaken if traffic worsens. Add in currency risk from the depreciating peso, and you can see why investors are scared.
This isn't a great time to be an airline -- just look at AMR
Having all of those advantages and a cheap price makes it the perfect stock. And while investors are waiting for economic recovery, they'll still be earning a sizable yield. And that's why Pacific is at the top of my to-buy list, just waiting for me to gather the cash.
A good time to be an investor
There's a lot to like about dividend-paying stocks, not the least of which is their outperformance. They may have a reputation as stodgy slow growers, but we can point to many large dividend payers that have done well recently, including General Mills
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This article was originally published on Sept. 12, 2008. It has been updated.
Motley Fool analyst Andrew Sullivan loves dividends and airports and owns Apple shares, but does not have a financial position in any other stocks mentioned in this article. eBay and Amazon.com are Motley Fool Stock Advisor selections. Pacific Airport Group is a Motley Fool Hidden Gems choice. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.