Interested In The First Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FNLC)’s Upcoming US$0.29 Dividend? You Have 4 Days Left
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Important news for shareholders and potential investors in The First Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FNLC): The dividend payment of US$0.29 per share will be distributed to shareholders on 30 April 2019, and the stock will begin trading ex-dividend at an earlier date, 09 April 2019. Investors looking for higher income-generating stocks to add to their portfolio should keep reading, as I examine First Bancorp's latest financial data to analyse its dividend characteristics.
View our latest analysis for First Bancorp
5 checks you should use to assess a dividend stock
Whenever I am looking at a potential dividend stock investment, I always check these five metrics:
Does it pay an annual yield higher than 75% of dividend payers?
Does it consistently pay out dividends without missing a payment of significantly cutting payout?
Has dividend per share risen in the past couple of years?
Does earnings amply cover its dividend payments?
Will the company be able to keep paying dividend based on the future earnings growth?
How does First Bancorp fare?
First Bancorp has a trailing twelve-month payout ratio of 51%, meaning the dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Furthermore, analysts have not forecasted a dividends per share for the future, which makes it hard to determine the yield shareholders should expect, and whether the current payout is sustainable, moving forward.
When considering the sustainability of dividends, it is also worth checking the cash flow of a company. A company with strong cash flow, relative to earnings, can sometimes sustain a high pay out ratio.
Reliablity is an important factor for dividend stocks, particularly for income investors who want a strong track record of payment and a positive outlook for future payout. FNLC has increased its DPS from $0.78 to $1.16 in the past 10 years. During this period it has not missed a payment, as one would expect for a company increasing its dividend. These are all positive signs of a great, reliable dividend stock.
In terms of its peers, First Bancorp has a yield of 4.5%, which is high for Banks stocks.
Next Steps:
With this in mind, I definitely rank First Bancorp as a strong dividend stock, and makes it worth further research for anyone who likes steady income generation from their portfolio. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, you should always research extensively before deciding whether or not a stock is an appropriate investment for you. I always recommend analysing the company's fundamentals and underlying business before making an investment decision. There are three key factors you should further examine:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for FNLC’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for FNLC’s outlook.
Valuation: What is FNLC worth today? Even if the stock is a cash cow, it's not worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether FNLC is currently mispriced by the market.
Other Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
