Ames National Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLO) Looks Like A Good Stock, And It's Going Ex-Dividend Soon
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Ames National Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLO) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order 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. Accordingly, Ames National investors that purchase the stock on or after the 29th of July will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 13th of August.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.26 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$1.04 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Ames National has a trailing yield of 4.4% on the current stock price of $23.44. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether Ames National can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Check out our latest analysis for Ames National
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Ames National paid out a comfortable 41% of its profit last year.
Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.
Click here to see how much of its profit Ames National paid out over the last 12 months.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Ames National earnings per share are up 9.1% per annum over the last five years.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the past 10 years, Ames National has increased its dividend at approximately 9.0% a year on average. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.
Final Takeaway
Should investors buy Ames National for the upcoming dividend? Ames National has seen its earnings per share grow slowly in recent years, and the company reinvests more than half of its profits in the business, which generally bodes well for its future prospects. Overall, Ames National looks like a promising dividend stock in this analysis, and we think it would be worth investigating further.
Curious about whether Ames National has been able to consistently generate growth? Here's a chart of its historical revenue and earnings growth.
A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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