WVS Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:WVFC) Passed Our Checks, And It's About To Pay A US$0.10 Dividend
WVS Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:WVFC) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 7th of February, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 20th of February.
WVS Financial's next dividend payment will be US$0.10 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.48 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that WVS Financial has a trailing yield of 2.8% on the current share price of $16.93. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
See our latest analysis for WVS Financial
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. WVS Financial is paying out just 25% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events.
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 WVS Financial paid out over the last 12 months.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. That's why it's comforting to see WVS Financial's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 29% per annum for the past five years.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. WVS Financial's dividend payments per share have declined at 2.8% per year on average over the past ten years, which is uninspiring. It's unusual to see earnings per share increasing at the same time as dividends per share have been in decline. We'd hope it's because the company is reinvesting heavily in its business, but it could also suggest business is lumpy.
To Sum It Up
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid WVS Financial? Companies like WVS Financial that are growing rapidly and paying out a low fraction of earnings, are usually reinvesting heavily in their business. 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, WVS Financial appears to have some promise as a dividend stock, and we'd suggest taking a closer look at it.
Want to learn more about WVS Financial? Here's a visualisation of its historical rate of revenue and earnings growth.
A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
