Why You Might Be Interested In Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) For Its Upcoming Dividend
Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. You will need to purchase shares before the 14th of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of August.
Southern Missouri Bancorp's upcoming dividend is US$0.15 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.52 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Southern Missouri Bancorp has a trailing yield of 1.8% on the current stock price of $33.1. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Southern Missouri Bancorp's dividend is reliable and sustainable. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
See our latest analysis for Southern Missouri Bancorp
Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 17% of its income after tax.
When a company paid out less in dividends than it earned in profit, this generally suggests its dividend is affordable. The lower the % of its profit that it pays out, the greater the margin of safety for the dividend if the business enters a downturn.
Click here to see how much of its profit Southern Missouri Bancorp paid out over the last 12 months.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. For this reason, we're glad to see Southern Missouri Bancorp's earnings per share have risen 15% per annum over the last five years.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Southern Missouri Bancorp has lifted its dividend by approximately 12% a year on average. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Southern Missouri Bancorp? 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. Perhaps even more importantly - this can sometimes signal management is focused on the long term future of the business. Overall, Southern Missouri Bancorp looks like a promising dividend stock in this analysis, and we think it would be worth investigating further.
Curious about whether Southern Missouri Bancorp has been able to consistently generate growth? Here's a chart of its historical revenue and earnings growth.
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.
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.
