I really like owning growing ASX shares. However, if those businesses don't pay a dividend then our bank account doesn't see the benefit of that growth unless we sell a portion, or all, of the holding. Wouldn't it be great to own a growing business that also pays dividends?
Given how many ASX shares generate franking credits when they pay Australian company income tax, it does make sense for a number of businesses to unlock those credits for shareholders through dividend payments.
Therefore, if we pick the right businesses, it could provide revenue growth, earnings growth, a good dividend yield and payout growth.
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Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)
This company is the parent of a number of leading businesses including Bunnings, Kmart, Officeworks, Priceline and Target. It also has a number of small healthcare businesses, the chemicals, energy and fertiliser (WesCEF) segment and industrial and safety businesses.
It's very diversified, with exposure to a number of different sectors and I think this gives the business pleasing growth avenues.
The quality of Bunnings and Kmart has been clearly demonstrated over the last six years, with growing earnings and expansion of product ranges. Kmart's Anko products are now being sold in significant quantities in North America and the Philippines.
FY25 was a perfect example of the company's ability to grow earnings and the dividend, despite the difficult trading conditions. Underlying earnings per share (EPS) grew by 3.7% and the full-year dividend grew by 4% to $2.06 per share. That's a grossed-up dividend yield of 3.6%, including franking credits, at the time of writing.
Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI)
Pinnacle is a leading business in the funds management space.
The ASX share owns a minority stake in a number of fund managers including Hyperion, Plato, Palisade, Resolution Capital, Solaris, Antipodes, Spheria, Firetrail, Metrics, Coolabah Capital, Aikya, Five V, Life Cycle and Pacific Asset Management.
It offers those fund managers a number of services including compliance, finance, legal, fund administration, distribution and client services, technology, seed funds under management and working capital.
Pinnacle grew its FY25 EPS by 37% to 62.4 cents, the FUM rose 63% to $179.4 billion and the dividend per share was hiked by 43% to 42 cents. Excitingly, FUM grew by another 10% in the first quarter of FY26.
Ongoing FUM growth for the fund managers and new fund managers added into the portfolio could help drive earnings higher in the coming years. The FY25 payout translates into a grossed-up dividend yield of approximately 3.5%, including franking credits.
Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL)
Sonic is a large healthcare business, with its earnings largely coming from pathology. It has a presence in a number of countries including Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Germany and Switzerland.
The company's revenue is benefiting from multiple tailwinds including ageing populations and growing populations in its core markets.
The business is expecting to grow its operating profit (EBITDA) by up to 13% year-over-year in FY26, with both organic growth and acquisitions helping the company's financials.
On the dividend side of things, over the last 30 years, it has grown its payout almost every year, except for a couple of years where it was maintained in the early 2010s.
Excluding franking credits, its FY25 payout translates into a dividend yield of 4.8%.
