The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Humana Cenovus Energy, Autohome, EnPro Industries and Merchants Bancorp

Chicago, IL – February 23, 2023 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Humana Inc. HUM, Cenovus Energy Inc. CVE, Autohome Inc. ATHM, EnPro Industries Inc. NPO and Merchants Bancorp MBIN.

Here are highlights from Wednesday's Analyst Blog:

U.S. stock markets have seen northbound movement so far this year after a terrible 2022. However, several strong economic data and hotter-than-expected inflation rates of January raise concerns that the Fed's tighter monetary control and higher interest rate regime are unlikely to terminate any time soon.

A series of strong economic data in January, such as, nonfarm payrolls, unemployment rate, retail sales, industrial production and ISM services Index has unnerved investors as a higher wage rate will raise aggregate demand, making inflation stubborn. The Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index of January, the two key inflation measures, were higher than the consensus mark.

At the beginning of this year, the consensus opinion was that the central bank may hike the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points for a maximum of three times. However, since the middle of February, a section of economists and financial experts started believing that the Fed will raise the interest rate by 1% this year with more upside left if inflation remains sticky.

At this stage, dividend-paying stocks should be in demand as investors will try to safeguard their portfolios. We believe that one should consider stocks that have recently raised their dividend payments. Five such companies are Humana Inc., Cenovus Energy Inc., Autohome Inc., EnPro Industries Inc. and Merchants Bancorp.

Humana's Medicaid business, buoyed by several contract wins and renewals, has strongly contributed to its top line for years. Buyouts and alliances place HUM well for growth. HUM has been deploying excess capital for the past several years on balance sheet strength. Humana's financial resilience will continue to boost investors' confidence. HUM's solid contributions from the Retail and Healthcare Services units are major positives.

On Feb 16, 2023, Humana declared that its shareholders would receive a dividend of $0.885 per share on Apr 28, 2023. It has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Over the past five years, HUM has increased its dividend seven times, and its payout ratio presently stays at 12% of earnings. Check HUM's dividend history here.

Cenovus Energy has operations in the lucrative oil-sand development in Alberta, wherein it has been employing a specialized technique for drilling and extracting oil. From 2020 to 2024, CVE expects to see compound annual production growth of 2-3%. Moreover, disciplined capital investment and production growth will enhance its funds. Coupled with higher oil price, increased production will boost CVE's bottom line.

On Feb 16, 2023, Cenovus Energy declared that its shareholders would receive a dividend of $0.079 per share on Mar 31, 2023. It has a dividend yield of 1.7%. Over the past five years, CVE has increased its dividend 10 times, and its payout ratio presently stays at 13% of earnings. Check CVE's dividend history here.

Autohome offers an online destination for automobile consumers primarily in the People's Republic of China. ATHM through its websites, autohome.com.cn and che168.com delivers content to automobile buyers and owners. ATHM also offers advertising services, dealer subscription services; used automobile listings services, automobile dealer subscription services as well as operates automotive aftermarket services platform and real-time feedback on the service providers.

On Feb 16, 2023, Autohome declared that its shareholders would receive a dividend of $0.58 per share on Apr 11, 2023. It has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Over the past five years, ATHM has increased its dividend three times, and its payout ratio presently stays at 22% of earnings. Check ATHM's dividend history here.

EnPro Industries is a diversified manufacturer of proprietary engineered products used in critical applications. NPO operates through three segments: Sealing Technologies, Advanced Surface Technologies, and Engineered Materials.

NPO is a leader in sealing technologies, metal polymer and filament wound bearings, components and service for reciprocating compressors, diesel and dual-fuel engines and other solutions that meet the needs of industries worldwide.

On Feb 16, 2023, EnPro Industries declared that its shareholders would receive a dividend of $0.29 per share on Mar 15, 2023. It has a dividend yield of 1%. Over the past five years, NPO has increased its dividend six times, and its payout ratio presently stays at 15% of earnings. Check NPO's dividend history here.

Merchants Bancorp operates as a diversified bank holding company in the United States. MBIN operates through the Multi-family Mortgage Banking, Mortgage Warehousing, and Banking segments.

Merchants Bancorp provides multi-family housing and health care facility financing, mortgage warehousing, retail and correspondent residential mortgage banking, agricultural lending and traditional community banking services, through its subsidiaries. MBIN currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

On Feb 16, 2023, Merchants Bancorp declared that its shareholders would receive a dividend of $0.08 per share on Apr 3, 2023. It has a dividend yield of 1%. Over the past five years, MBIN has increased its dividend six times, and its payout ratio presently stays at 6% of earnings. Check MBIN's dividend history here.

Merchants Bancorp dividend-yield-ttm | Merchants Bancorp Quote

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Humana Inc. (HUM) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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EnPro Industries (NPO) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Autohome Inc. (ATHM) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Merchants Bancorp (MBIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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