Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. However, 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.IdaCorp in FocusIdaCorp (IDA) is headquartered in Boise, and is in the Utilities sector. The stock has seen a price change of 13.14% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.71 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.61%. In comparison, the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield is 3.14%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.36%.Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.84 is up 4.4% from last year. IdaCorp has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 6.76%. 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. IdaCorp's current payout ratio is 56%. This means it paid out 56% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.Looking at this fiscal year, IDA expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $4.82 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 2.77%.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 must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, IDA is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold). Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >>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 IDACORP, Inc. (IDA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research