Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. 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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.Horizon Bancorp in FocusHorizon Bancorp (HBNC) is headquartered in Michigan City, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of -11.42% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.16 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 3.47%. In comparison, the Banks - Northeast industry's yield is 2.67%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.78%.Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $0.64 is up 20.8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Horizon Bancorp has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 12.58%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Horizon Bancorp's current payout ratio is 28%. This means it paid out 28% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.Looking at this fiscal year, HBNC expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $2.31 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 15.50%.Bottom LineFrom greatly improving stock investing profits and reducing overall portfolio risk to providing tax advantages, investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons. 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. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, HBNC 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). Special Report: The Top 5 IPOs for Your Portfolio Today, you have a chance to get in on the ground floor of one of the best investment opportunities of the year. As the world continues to benefit from an ever-evolving internet, a handful of innovative tech companies are on the brink of reaping immense rewards - and you can put yourself in a position to cash in. One is set to disrupt the online communication industry. Brilliantly designed for creating online communities, this stock is poised to explode when made public. With the strength of our economy and record amounts of cash flooding into IPOs, you don’t want to miss this opportunity.>>See Zacks’ Hottest IPOs NowWant 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 Horizon Bancorp IN (HBNC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research