Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBSH) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A Dividend
It looks like Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBSH) is about to go ex-dividend in the next four days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled 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. Meaning, you will need to purchase Commerce Bancshares' shares before the 1st of December to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 17th of December.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.26 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.05 per share. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Commerce Bancshares has a trailing yield of 1.4% on the current share price of $74.06. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Commerce Bancshares's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to investigate whether Commerce Bancshares can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Check out our latest analysis for Commerce Bancshares
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Commerce Bancshares has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 22% of its income after tax.
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 with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. Fortunately for readers, Commerce Bancshares's earnings per share have been growing at 18% a year for the past five years.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Commerce Bancshares has lifted its dividend by approximately 6.4% 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.
The Bottom Line
Should investors buy Commerce Bancshares for the upcoming dividend? When companies are growing rapidly and retaining a majority of the profits within the business, it's usually a sign that reinvesting earnings creates more value than paying dividends to shareholders. This is one of the most attractive investment combinations under this analysis, as it can create substantial value for investors over the long run. In summary, Commerce Bancshares appears to have some promise as a dividend stock, and we'd suggest taking a closer look at it.
With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. For example, we've found 2 warning signs for Commerce Bancshares (1 is potentially serious!) that deserve your attention before investing in the shares.
If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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.
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