We recently compiled a list of the 12 Best Dividend Stocks Under $25. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Hooker Furnishings Corporation (NASDAQ:HOFT) stands against the other dividend stocks under $25.

Dividend stocks have remained important for investors, standing the test of time regardless of the market conditions. Dividends have historically contributed approximately one-third of the market’s total return since 1960. Among dividend strategies, investors tend to favor those that emphasize dividend growth over high yield. One of the main reasons for this inclination is that as these companies show more tangible results, investors gain confidence from seeing improvements in free cash flow, earnings, and dividend growth during a recovery, compared to more speculative options. In addition, as interest rates decrease with Federal Reserve rate cuts in an economic recovery, yield-oriented investors shift their investments from cash to dividend-paying stocks.

According to analysts, due to volatile economic conditions since 2020 and ongoing market uncertainties affecting corporate earnings, high-yielding companies lacking strong financial stability and discipline may face challenges sustaining future dividend payouts. These companies could be vulnerable to potential dividend cuts or suspensions. On the other hand, dividend growth strategies have demonstrated their effectiveness in both rising and falling interest rate periods. The Dividend Aristocrats index, which tracks the performance of companies with at least 25 consecutive years of dividend growth, delivered a 14.26% return during the falling interest rates period between May 2005 and March 2024, while high dividend stocks underperformed with over 10% return, according to a report ProShares. Similarly, in the rising interest rates period between this timeframe, dividend growers returned 10.26%, with high dividend stocks returning 9.22%. To learn more about dividend growth stocks, readers should have a look at Dividend Zombies and Kings with Longest Dividend Payouts. 

Dividend growth strategies offer potential solutions to the challenges faced by high dividend-paying stocks in a rising-rate environment in two main ways. By prioritizing dividend increases over high yields, dividend growth stocks are less influenced by the value factor, which typically affects high dividend payers. This resilience allows dividend growth stocks to perform better in growth-oriented markets.

Given investors’ penchant for dividend-paying companies, businesses worldwide are consistently rewarding shareholders with dividends. According to Janus Henderson, dividends rose by 5% in 2023 to $1.66 trillion, marking the third consecutive year of record highs following a brief dip in payouts during the pandemic in 2020. The fund manager expects total dividends to reach a new peak of $1.72 trillion, reflecting a 3.9% increase on a headline basis. The payments indicate that balance sheets remain strong, despite a global economic downturn and increased costs associated with servicing debt. It also underscores the advantages for the banking sector of higher interest rates. Nearly half of last year’s dividend growth came from banks, which rewarded shareholders after experiencing a significant increase in profits from lending activities.

Our Methodology:

For this list, we used a stock screener to find dividend stocks trading below $25 as of June 21. From the initial list, we selected companies with dividend yields above 2% and a history of regular dividend payments, indicating sustainable dividends. Finally, we narrowed it down to 12 stocks that had the highest number of hedge fund investors, as tracked by Insider Monkey in Q1 2024. Hedge funds aren’t dividend investors; they invest in stocks for capital gains. Essentially, our list presents the best dividend stocks under $25 that have the potential to deliver large capital gains. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).

Hooker Furnishings Corporation (NASDAQ:HOFT)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 6

Share Price as of June 21: $13.46

Hooker Furnishings Corporation (NASDAQ:HOFT) is a leading home furnishing company, based in Virginia, US. The company designs, manufactures, imports, and markets a wide range of residential furniture products. The furniture market is very competitive, with many companies ranging from large corporations to smaller niche brands. This fragmentation limits market share growth and creates pricing pressure due to intense competition.

Hooker Furnishings Corporation (NASDAQ:HOFT) is struggling due to ongoing low demand for home furnishings, a problem impacting much of the industry. This was evident in its Q1 2024 earnings. The company reported losses on various fronts during the quarter, however, it believes that its current strategies in operations, marketing, and merchandising, are transformative. Challenging times like these offer a chance to reinvent parts of its business. In its Home Meridian segment, the company reported a 6.4% YoY growth in incoming orders, with SLH orders more than tripling. In addition, the quarter-end backlog was 22% higher than the same period last year and 37% higher than the fiscal year end in January 2024.

On June 4, Hooker Furnishings Corporation (NASDAQ:HOFT) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, which was consistent with its previous dividend. The company has been growing its dividends for eight consecutive years, which makes HOFT one of the best dividend stocks on our list. In the most recent quarter, it returned $2.5 million to shareholders through dividends. The stock has an impressive dividend yield of 6.81%, as of June 21.

Since the start of 2024, Hooker Furnishings Corporation (NASDAQ:HOFT) has fallen by over 48% and its 12-month returns came in at nearly -28%, underperforming the broader market significantly. The stock achieved its all-time in December 2017, following the acquisition of Shenandoah Furniture, an upscale domestic upholstery manufacturer. On December 6, 2017, the stock closed at around $50 per share. During this period, there was also a significant amount of insider buying activity involving the stock.

At the end of Q1 2024, 6 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey reported having stakes in Hooker Furnishings Corporation (NASDAQ:HOFT), down from 8 in the previous quarter. These stakes are valued at over $47 million. With nearly 1.3 million shares, Pzena Investment Management was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q1.

Overall HOFT ranks 12th on our list of the best dividend stocks to buy under $25. You can visit 12 Best Dividend Stocks Under $25 to see the other dividend stocks that are on hedge funds’ radar. While we acknowledge the potential of HOFT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued dividend stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued dividend stock that is more promising than HOFT but that trades at less than 7 times its earnings and yields nearly 10%, check out our report about the dirt cheap dividend stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.