Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.Conagra Brands in FocusHeadquartered in Chicago, Conagra Brands (CAG) is a Consumer Staples stock that has seen a price change of 10.78% so far this year. The company is paying out a dividend of $0.33 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.49% compared to the Food - Miscellaneous industry's yield of 0.11% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.59%.Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $1.32 is up 5.6% from last year. Conagra Brands has increased its dividend 2 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 11.23%. 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. Conagra Brands's current payout ratio is 54%, meaning it paid out 54% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.CAG is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $2.44 per share, with earnings expected to increase 3.39% from the year ago period.Bottom LineInvestors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. Income investors have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that CAG is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Zacks Names "Single Best Pick to Double" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year.Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >>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 Conagra Brands (CAG): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research