All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.AES in FocusHeadquartered in Arlington, AES (AES) is a Utilities stock that has seen a price change of 6.22% so far this year. The power company is paying out a dividend of $0.14 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.55% compared to the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield of 2.92% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.91%.In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.55 is up 5.8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, AES has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 16.28%. Any future dividend growth will depend on both earnings growth and the company's payout ratio; a payout ratio is the proportion of a firm's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. AES's current payout ratio is 44%, meaning it paid out 44% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.Looking at this fiscal year, AES expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $1.34 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 8.06%.Bottom LineInvestors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, AES presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The AES Corporation (AES): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.