With interest rates at the record low of 1.5% and looking unlikely to recover in the near term, investors' search for income is becoming harder. Fortunately there are still plenty of viable high-yielding options in today's market.
Here are three shares which are currently providing income investors with yields of over 5%:
Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (ASX: HVN)
At just 15x estimated FY 2017 earnings and expected to provide a fully franked 5.5% dividend, I believe this leading retailer could be a great option for income investors. With the strong tailwind of the housing boom in its sails, Harvey Norman recently reported a 30% increase in full year net profit after tax to $348.6 million. Looking ahead management appears confident that conditions remain favourable for solid earnings growth for some time to come still. In light of this I would class it as a buy right now.
Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN)
In my opinion Suncorp is the pick of Australia's insurers at present. Not only is it the cheapest at just 13x forecast FY 2017 earnings, but it is also expected by analysts to provide the best dividend amongst its peers. According to CommSec, Suncorp's shares are forecast to pay a fully franked 6% dividend in the next 12 months. With the insurer's transition through to a new operating model looking likely to be a success, I think now could be as great a time as ever to snap up some Suncorp shares.
Village Roadshow Ltd (ASX: VRL)
It's fair to say that this media and entertainment business has not had a great year. Due partly to one-off items Village Roadshow recently posted an incredibly disappointing 60% drop in net profit after tax to $15.7 million. This year's poor performance has played a key role in dragging its share price down around 39% year to date. But rather positively for income investors this does now mean that its shares are expected to provide a fully franked 6.3% dividend in FY 2017. With management taking steps to rebase earnings and chase new revenue streams, a turnaround could be just around the corner making this a tempting option for investors.
