£9,000 of Legal & General shares could make me £1,036 in monthly passive income!

Legal & General shares pay one of the highest yields in any FTSE index, which could generate major passive income payments for me in the years ahead.

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

Image source: Getty Images

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

Legal & General (LSE: LGEN) shares have long been a core holding in my passive income portfolio.

I constructed this when I turned 50 a few years ago to maximise the income I made from dividend-paying shares.

This should allow me to reduce my daily working commitments further and live off these stock returns.

Should you invest £1,000 in Nvidia right now?

When investing expert Mark Rogers has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets. And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Nvidia made the list?

See the 6 stocks

Adjusting the portfolio for a 7%+ yield

My minimum requirement for a stock’s inclusion in this portfolio is an annual yield of at least 7%. This is because the ‘risk-free rate’ (the 10-year UK government bond yield) is around 4%, and shares have risks attached.

Should any of my passive income stocks fall below this yield, it is flagged for possible sale.

If the fall is due to a share price rise, I will probably keep it. This is because it is a technical adjustment only, as share prices and yields move in opposite directions.

However, if it is due to a dividend payment reduction, I will probably sell it. A dividend cut is never a good sign for a company, in my experience.

What is the yield outlook here?

Legal & General raised its interim dividend this year by 5%, from 5.71p a share in 2023 to 6p.

If this rise were applied to the total dividend in 2023 of 20.34p, then the full payment this year would be 21.36p. On the current share price of £2.23, this would give a yield of 9.6%.

This compares to the average FTSE 100 yield of 3.7%, and the FTSE 250’s 3.3%.

Looking further ahead, consensus analysts’ forecasts are that these dividend payments will increase in 2025 to 21.9p, and in 2026 to 22.5p. Based again on the current share price, these would give respective yields of 9.8% and 10.1%.

Created with Highcharts 11.4.3Legal & General Group Plc PriceZoom1M3M6MYTD1Y5Y10YALL4 Sep 20194 Sep 2024Zoom ▾Jan '20Jul '20Jan '21Jul '21Jan '22Jul '22Jan '23Jul '23Jan '24Jul '242020202020212021202220222023202320242024www.fool.co.uk

Ultimately, dividends are powered by earnings over time. A risk here is that a renewed surge in the cost of living might cause customers to cancel their policies.

However, analysts forecast that Legal & General’s earnings will grow by 27.3% each year to end-2026.

How much passive income can be made?

I began investing in shares over 30 years ago with around £9,000. Investing this amount now in Legal & General shares would make £819 from their 9.1% yield.

If this averaged the same over 10 years, I would make £8,190, and over 30 years £24,570.

A pretty good return certainly, but much more could be made if I used the dividends paid to buy more Legal & General shares.

The power of dividend compounding

This is called ‘dividend compounding’ and is the same idea as leaving interest in a bank account to grow.

Using this method with the same average yield in place would generate an extra £13,282 after 10 years, not £8,190. And after 30 years on the same basis, there would be an additional £127,582 rather than £24,570!

Adding the original £9,000 to the pot would give an investment worth £136,582. This would pay £12,429 a year by that point, or £1,036 each month!

Will I buy the shares?

I already own Legal & General shares for their superb yield, strong growth prospects and extreme undervaluation. I intend to buy more very soon for precisely the same reasons.

Should you buy Nvidia now?

Don’t make any big decisions yet.

Because Mark Rogers — The Motley Fool UK’s Director of Investing — has revealed 5 Shares for the Future of Energy.

And he believes they could bring spectacular returns over the next decade.

Since the war in Ukraine, nations everywhere are scrambling for energy independence, he says. Meanwhile, they’re hellbent on achieving net zero emissions. No guarantees, but history shows...

When such enormous changes hit a big industry, informed investors can potentially get rich.

So, with his new report, Mark’s aiming to put more investors in this enviable position.

Click the button below to find out how you can get your hands on the full report now, and as a thank you for your interest, we’ll send you one of the five picks — absolutely free!

Grab your FREE Energy recommendation now

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

Simon Watkins has positions in Legal & General Group Plc. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

More on Investing Articles

Investing Articles

Here’s the dividend forecast for Rolls-Royce shares as Trump rocks the markets

Rolls-Royce shares have joined in the volatility over the past week. However, with the direction being largely downwards, the dividend…

Read more »

Young Asian man drinking coffee at home and looking at his phone
Investing Articles

Dividend yields of up to 11%! Here are 3 UK passive income stocks to consider

Searching for ways to supercharge your passive income with UK dividend stocks? Here are three that have grabbed our writer's…

Read more »

Young Caucasian woman at the street withdrawing money at the ATM
Investing Articles

£10,000 invested in NatWest shares at the start of 2025 is now worth…

NatWest shares surged into 2025, but things have become a little more complicated in recent weeks. Dr James Fox explores.

Read more »

Investing For Beginners

Why the FTSE 250 could outperform the FTSE 100 for the rest of the year

Jon Smith explains why the FTSE 250 could do better than its big brother when factoring in domestic exposure and…

Read more »

Three signposts pointing in different directions, with 'Buy' 'Sell' and 'Hold' on
Investing Articles

Tariff fears send the Lloyds share price tumbling, but the dividend yield is climbing

Just when the Lloyds Banking Group share price had been rising steadily, along comes a global upheaval to knock it…

Read more »

Bus waiting in front of the London Stock Exchange on a sunny day.
Investing Articles

Here’s how a stock market crash could help an investor retire years early

A stock market crash can be alarming -- but for the well-prepared investor, it can also be an exceptional opportunity…

Read more »

Investing Articles

1 key fact to remember in this stock market correction

This writer takes a look at a FTSE 100 investment trust that is catching his eye after the recent massive…

Read more »

Investing Articles

I was wrong about the Tesla stock price!

Tesla stock's been affected more than most by ‘Liberation Day’. But our writer has other concerns about Elon Musk’s company.

Read more »