Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) Will Pay A Dividend Of US$0.39
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) will pay a dividend of US$0.39 on the 11th of February. This makes the dividend yield 3.1%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.
View our latest analysis for Citizens Financial Group
Citizens Financial Group's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions
While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Before making this announcement, Citizens Financial Group was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 21.1% over the next year. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 47%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future.
Citizens Financial Group Doesn't Have A Long Payment History
Even though the company has been paying a consistent dividend for a while, we would like to see a few more years before we feel comfortable relying on it. Since 2015, the first annual payment was US$0.40, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$1.56. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 21% per annum over that time. The dividend has been growing rapidly, however with such a short payment history we can't know for sure if payment can continue to grow over the long term, so caution may be warranted.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. It's encouraging to see Citizens Financial Group has been growing its earnings per share at 21% a year over the past five years. Earnings per share is growing at a solid clip, and the payout ratio is low which we think is an ideal combination in a dividend stock as the company can quite easily raise the dividend in the future.
We Really Like Citizens Financial Group's Dividend
Overall, we like to see the dividend staying consistent, and we think Citizens Financial Group might even raise payments in the future. The earnings easily cover the company's distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. However, it is worth noting that the earnings are expected to fall over the next year, which may not change the long term outlook, but could affect the dividend payment in the next 12 months. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Citizens Financial Group that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.
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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.
