Should Income Investors Look At Byline Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:BY) Before Its Ex-Dividend?
Byline Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:BY) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four 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. This means that investors who purchase Byline Bancorp's shares on or after the 7th of November will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 22nd of November.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.09 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.36 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Byline Bancorp has a trailing yield of approximately 1.6% on its current stock price of $22.94. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Byline Bancorp's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.
See our latest analysis for Byline Bancorp
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. Byline Bancorp has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 16% of its income after tax.
Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. Byline Bancorp's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 7.9% a year over the previous five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Byline Bancorp has delivered 44% dividend growth per year on average over the past three years.
The Bottom Line
Is Byline Bancorp worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share have shrunk noticeably in recent years, although we like that the company has a low payout ratio. This could suggest a cut to the dividend may not be a major risk in the near future. In sum this is a middling combination, and we find it hard to get excited about the company from a dividend perspective.
So if you want to do more digging on Byline Bancorp, you'll find it worthwhile knowing the risks that this stock faces. Our analysis shows 1 warning sign for Byline Bancorp and you should be aware of this before buying any shares.
Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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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