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.Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the 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.Emerson Electric in FocusHeadquartered in St. Louis, Emerson Electric (EMR) is an Industrial Products stock that has seen a price change of 13.4% so far this year. The maker of process controls systems, valves and analytical instruments is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.5 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.22%. This compares to the Manufacturing - Electronics industry's yield of 0.42% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.34%.In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.02 is up 1% from last year. In the past five-year period, Emerson Electric has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 1.27%. 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. Right now, Emerson Electric's payout ratio is 56%, which means it paid out 56% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.Looking at this fiscal year, EMR expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $3.74 per share, with earnings expected to increase 8.09% from the year ago period.Bottom LineInvestors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. But, not every company offers 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. Income investors must be conscious 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 EMR is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a 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 Emerson Electric Co. (EMR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.