Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. 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 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.Western New England Bancorp in FocusHeadquartered in Westfield, Western New England Bancorp (WNEB) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of -4.91% so far this year. The bank holding company is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.06 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.88%. This compares to the Banks - Foreign industry's yield of 4.16% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.69%.Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.24 is up 20% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Western New England Bancorp has increased its dividend 3 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 11.32%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Right now, Western New England Bancorp's payout ratio is 23%, which means it paid out 23% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.WNEB is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $1.03 per share, with earnings expected to increase 0.98% 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. However, not all companies offer 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 WNEB is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy). Zacks' Top Picks to Cash in on Electric Vehicles Big money has already been made in the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry. But, the EV revolution has not hit full throttle yet. There is a lot of money to be made as the next push for future technologies ramps up. Zacks’ Special Report reveals 5 picks investorsSee 5 EV Stocks With Extreme Upside Potential >>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 Western New England Bancorp (WNEB): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research