Yahoo Finance First Merchants' (NASDAQ:FRME) Dividend Will Be Increased To US$0.32
First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) will increase its dividend on the 17th of June to US$0.32, which is 10% higher than last year. The announced payment will take the dividend yield to 3.0%, which is in line with the average for the industry.
See our latest analysis for First Merchants
First Merchants' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. However, prior to this announcement, First Merchants' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 0.8%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 40% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
First Merchants Has A Solid Track Record
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The dividend has gone from US$0.04 in 2012 to the most recent annual payment of US$1.16. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 40% per annum over that time. It is good to see that there has been strong dividend growth, and that there haven't been any cuts for a long time.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. First Merchants has impressed us by growing EPS at 10% per year over the past five years. With a decent amount of growth and a low payout ratio, we think this bodes well for First Merchants' prospects of growing its dividend payments in the future.
We'd also point out that First Merchants has issued stock equal to 10% of shares outstanding. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective.
We Really Like First Merchants' Dividend
In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. 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 in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for First Merchants that you should be aware of before investing. Is First Merchants not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.
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