The popularity of Lloyds‘ (LSE:LLOY) shares is well known in Britain. The banking giant’s often perceived as a ‘safe’ parking spot for capital with an attractive yield of 4.2% today. However, if the latest analyst projections are accurate, this yield could grow significantly over the next four-to-five years. So let’s explore what could be in store for Lloyds’ shareholders.

Dividends on the rise

Management’s underpinned its ambitions to generate a return on tangible equity of at least 13-15% by 2026. Paring this with the continued benefits of its structural hedges keeping its net interest margin elevated suggests the bank’s operating cash flows are in good nick.

More evidence of this can be seen with the group’s Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio of 13.5%. As a quick crash course, the CET1 ratio measures a bank’s ability to absorb sudden losses and is a signal of financial strength. Generally speaking, any value above 13% is considered exceptionally strong, providing ample flexibility for capital allocation.

In other words, Lloyds has plenty of wiggle room to raise dividends or execute buybacks. And on that, the latest analyst projections for the Lloyds dividend certainly look encouraging.

What to watch

As one of the largest lenders in Britain, Lloyds is in a solid position to capitalise on a UK economic recovery. Continued interest rate cuts boost housing affordability, lower the requirements for credit card eligibility, and drive up demand for new business loans.

Thanks to its structural hedge portfolio, Lloyds will be able to capitalise on the perks of lower interest rates while keeping its profit margins largely intact. So if British GDP continues to grow, Lloyds’ shares may continue climbing to its long-anticipated share price of £1.

However, there are some caveats to this. The bank’s focused on the UK, making its performance almost entirely dependent on an economic rebound. And given the lack of significant growth over the last 15 years, betting on Britain hasn’t historically been as lucrative as other economies.

At the same time, mortgage delinquencies and default rates are actually on the rise as households continue to struggle with higher mortgage rates. And it’s a similar story for small- and medium-sized enterprises. So far, the situation appears manageable. But a sudden spike in loan defaults or a new windfall tax on the often-criticised banking sector by the British government could leave shareholders disappointed.

All things considered, Lloyds is looking increasingly attractive as an income opportunity. And its popularity’s starting to appear warranted for the first time in over a decade. At least, that’s what I think. As a growth investor, Lloyds shares aren’t a great fit for my portfolio. But for investors seeking a reliable source of passive income, the bank could be worth a closer look.