First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN) Is Increasing Its Dividend To US$0.17
The board of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN) has announced that the dividend on 1st of July will be increased to US$0.17, which will be 13% higher than last year. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 1.5% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.
See our latest analysis for First Financial Bankshares
First Financial Bankshares' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable. Before making this announcement, First Financial Bankshares was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 0.9%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 42% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
First Financial Bankshares Has A Solid Track Record
The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2012, the first annual payment was US$0.24, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$0.60. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 9.6% over that duration. The dividend has been growing very nicely for a number of years, and has given its shareholders some nice income in their portfolios.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. First Financial Bankshares has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 15% per annum. With a decent amount of growth and a low payout ratio, we think this bodes well for First Financial Bankshares' prospects of growing its dividend payments in the future.
First Financial Bankshares Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that First Financial Bankshares is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 6 analysts we track are forecasting for First Financial Bankshares for free with public analyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection 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.
