2 highly-rated ASX dividend shares named as buys

These dividend shares could be great options for income investors…

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Are you looking for some top ASX dividend shares to add to your income portfolio next week?

If you are, you might want to look at the ones listed below. Here's what you need to know about these highly rated dividend shares:

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Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

The first ASX dividend share to look at is Accent. It is a retail group with a collection of popular footwear-focused store brands. These include stores such as HYPEDC, Platypus, and The Athlete's Foot.

Accent certainly was on form in FY 2021. For the 12 months ended 30 June, the company reported a 19.9% increase in sales to $1.14 billion and a 38.6% jump in net profit after tax to $76.9 million.

Thanks to this strong form, the Accent Board was able to increase its full year dividend by 21.6% to 11.25 cents in FY 2021.

This went down well with the team at Bell Potter. In response to its results, the broker retained its buy rating but trimmed its price target to $2.90. The latter was due to its expectation that FY 2022's result will be softer due to lockdowns.

Nevertheless, the broker remains positive on the future. Its team have pencilled in dividends per share of 9 cents in FY 2022 and 13 cents in FY 2023.

Based on the latest Accent share price of $2.19, this represents yields of 4.1% and 5.9%, respectively.

Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL)

Another ASX dividend share to look at is Sonic Healthcare. It is a leading medical diagnostics company with operations across the world.

Over the last 30+ years Sonic has earned a reputation for excellence in pathology, diagnostic imaging, and primary care medical services. This is across operations spanning the ANZ, European and North American markets.

Sonic was also a very strong performer in FY 2021. Last month it delivered a 28% increase in revenue to $8.8 billion and a 149% lift in net profit to $1.3 billion. This was driven largely by strong demand for COVID-19 testing services.

Morgans is positive on the company and has an add rating and $45.98 price target on its shares. It is also forecasting dividends per share of 95 cents in FY 2022 and 99 cents in FY 2023. Based on the latest Sonic share price of $43.75, this will mean partially franked yields of 2.2% and 2.3%, respectively.

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Accent Group and Sonic Healthcare Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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