Do These 3 Checks Before Buying Independent Bank Corp. (NASDAQ:INDB) For Its Upcoming Dividend
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Independent Bank Corp. (NASDAQ:INDB) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next two days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. In other words, investors can purchase Independent Bank's shares before the 24th of June in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 8th of July.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.51 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$2.04 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Independent Bank has a trailing yield of approximately 2.6% on its current stock price of $78.79. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to investigate whether Independent Bank can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
See our latest analysis for Independent Bank
Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Independent Bank paid out 57% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses.
Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Independent Bank's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years. It's better than seeing them drop, certainly, but over the long term, all of the best dividend stocks are able to meaningfully grow their earnings per share.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, Independent Bank has lifted its dividend by approximately 10% a year on average.
The Bottom Line
Is Independent Bank an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Independent Bank's earnings per share have been essentially flat, and the company is paying out more than half of its earnings as dividends to shareholders. Independent Bank doesn't appear to have a lot going for it, and we're not inclined to take a risk on owning it for the dividend.
So if you're still interested in Independent Bank despite it's poor dividend qualities, you should be well informed on some of the risks facing this stock. To help with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Independent Bank that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.
If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
