There's not much point in chasing income if it doesn't grow. Neither am I attracted to growth stocks with little promise of income.
The following blue chip businesses have been working through some issues and refocusing their efforts for a new period of growth.
Crown Resorts Ltd (ASX: CWN)
Australia's largest casino operator has undergone a fair bit of change in recent years, and I think is now setup for a good decade ahead.
The company has now exited its overseas operations and is refocused back on its core Australian business, with Crown Melbourne and Crown Perth being its main assets. In just a few years time, Crown Sydney will be opened and should become a substantial cash flow generator for the company.
Crown is expected to pay 60 cents per share in dividends until the Sydney casino comes online. Once the new asset gains some momentum, it's likely the company would ratchet up the dividend from then on.
At the current price, shares trade on a dividend yield of around 4.4% (60% franked), or 5.5% grossed up.
Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)
The share price of Wesfarmers has been on a bit of a run lately, popping higher over the last 6 months, after being stuck between $40-$45 for a few years. The market has clearly taken kindly to the news of the Coles demerger and the step back from the loss-making Bunnings UK expansion.
Obviously, hopes are pinned on Wesfarmers finding some higher growth opportunities with the cash released from the demerger. It may sit on the cash for a while, or divert some to its best-performing businesses, such as Kmart and Bunnings Australia & New Zealand. We'll have to wait and see, but I do think the growth outlook for Wesfarmers is reasonable and now better than before.
The company currently trades on a dividend yield of 4.5%, or 6.4% grossed-up. After the demerger, Wesfarmers is still expected to maintain the same dividend policy of paying out around 80-90% of earnings as dividends.
Foolish takeaway
Neither of these businesses look particularly cheap or expensive. I think both are reasonably attractive for a patient income-focused investor, looking for a solid yield with improving growth prospects for the next decade.
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