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Patterson Companies Inc is known by the trading ticker symbol, PDCO. It is listed in the Healthcare sector as a  Medical Distribution Company. This is my first report on Patterson Companies for my Vista stock Portfolio. I did recommend the stock in a previous portfolio.

Patterson is a leading dental distributor and wholesaler of consumable products and equipment operating through two business segments, Patterson Dental and Patterson Animal Health. 

The firm offers dental and veterinary practice management products, including office software products, technical, financial, and educational services, primarily to two highly fragmented market segments throughout the U.S. and Canada. 

The company began as a dental distributor in 1877 and expanded to become a major supplier of animal health products to vets and production companies through the acquisition of Animal Health International in 2015. Patterson also has a presence in the U.K. animal health market.

The company was formerly known as Patterson Dental Company and changed its name to Patterson Companies, Inc. in June 2004. Patterson Companies, Inc. was founded in 1877 and is headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Three key data points gauge dividend equities or funds like Patterson Companies Inc:

(1) Price

(2) Dividends

(3) Returns

Those three basic keys best tell whether any company has made, is making, and will make money. 

PDCO Price

Patterson Companies price per share was $28.98 as of yesterday's market close. One year ago its price was $27.70. So PDCO's share price has grown over 4.6% in the past year. 

If Patterson Companies stock trades in the range of $24 to $36 this next year, its recent $28.98 price might rise by $4.02 to reach $33.00 by August 11, 2022. My estimate is $0.58 under the median of one-year target prices estimated for PDCO by14 analysts covering the stock for brokers.

PDCO Dividends

Patterson's most recent regular quarterly dividend payout of  $0.26  was paid on August 6th and projected an annual payout of $1.04 to yield 3.59% based on yesterday's $28.98 closing price. PDCO has paid annual dividends for 11 years.

PDCO Returns

Adding the $1.04 annual PDCO forward-looking dividend to my $4.02 price upside estimate shows a $5.06 potential gross gain, per share, to be reduced by any costs to trade Patterson shares.  

At yesterday's $28.98 price per share, a little over $1000 would buy 35 shares.

A $10 broker fee (if charged) would be paid half at purchase and half at a sale and might cost us about $0.29 per share.

Subtract that maybe $0.29 brokerage cost from my estimated $5.06 gross gain per share results in a net gain of $4.77 X 35 shares = $166.95 for a 16.65% net gain on a $1,014.30 investment.

So it is that Patterson Companies Inc shows a possible 64.45% net gain including a 3.59% forward estimated dividend yield. 

Over the next year at this time, a $1000 investment in Patterson Companies could generate $35.90 in cash dividends alone. And a single share bought at yesterday's closing price was $28.98! Thus, PDCO's share price is now about 81% of the dividend income from $1K invested. So, according to my dividend dogcatcher ideal, this is a good time to pick up Patterson Companies shares because the dividend from $1k invested exceeds the single share price by 20%. Consider yourself alerted.    

All of the estimates above are speculation based on the past history of Patterson Companies Inc. Only time and money invested in this stock will determine its market value.