While searching for a high yield is one way of obtaining an impressive income return, FTSE 100 dividend growth shares could also offer impressive income investing prospects in the long run.
Certainly, their dividends may be lower than those available elsewhere in the short run. But in the long run, their potential to raise shareholder payouts at a fast pace could lead to an impressive total return for investors.
With that in mind, here are two FTSE 100 stocks that could deliver an impressive income investing outlook over the long run.
DCC
International sales, marketing and support services company DCC (LSE: DCC) released its annual results on Tuesday. Revenue increased by 16% to £15.227bn, while adjusted operating profit from continuing operations moved 20.1% higher to £460.5m. With each of the company’s divisions reporting strong growth in profitability, it was a successful year for the business despite mild weather conditions.
The company committed £370m to acquisitions during the period, with it also announcing a variety of new acquisitions alongside its results. Due to its equity placing during the year, the company is of the view that it has the financial firepower to make further acquisitions, should opportunities arise.
While DCC has a dividend yield of just 2.2% at the present time, its dividend cover of 2.7 suggests that shareholder payouts could rise at a brisk pace. Indeed, it has increased dividends per share by 12.5% per year in the last four years. This suggests that the stock could become increasingly appealing from an income perspective, and may deliver improving income returns in the long run.
Reckitt Benckiser
Another FTSE 100 share with dividend growth potential is consumer goods business Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB). The company has a dividend yield of 3% at the present time, which is over 1 percentage point lower than the FTSE 100’s yield. However, the stock has the potential to deliver improving profit growth that could lead to a rapidly-rising dividend over the medium term.
Reckitt Benckiser’s position within key emerging markets such as China may mean that it enjoys a tailwind in the long run. Wage growth across the emerging world is expected to remain high, which could lead to rising demand for the company’s products.
Since the current dividend payout is covered 1.9 times by profit, dividends could rise by the same level as profit over the long run without hurting the financial strength of the business. With Reckitt Benckiser having increased dividends per share at an annualised rate of 7% in the last three years, it has a solid track record of inflation-beating income growth.
With the business having a diverse range of brands, as well as a wide geographical spread, its risk may be lower than some of its FTSE 100 peers. This could mean it is a more resilient dividend growth stock than some of its rivals, which may enhance its long-term investing appeal.
