Yahoo Finance South State's (NASDAQ:SSB) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's
South State Corporation (NASDAQ:SSB) will increase its dividend on the 19th of August to US$0.49. The announced payment will take the dividend yield to 2.6%, which is in line with the average for the industry.
View our latest analysis for South State
South State's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. However, South State's earnings easily cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 0.2% over the next year. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 36%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future.
South State Has A Solid Track Record
The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The dividend has gone from US$0.68 in 2011 to the most recent annual payment of US$1.96. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 11% over that duration. We can see that payments have shown some very nice upward momentum without faltering, which provides some reassurance that future payments will also be reliable.
We Could See South State's Dividend Growing
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. South State has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 7.7% per annum. With a decent amount of growth and a low payout ratio, we think this bodes well for South State's prospects of growing its dividend payments in the future.
South State Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. The company is generating plenty of cash, and the earnings also quite easily cover the distributions. However, it is worth noting that the earnings are expected to fall over the next year, which may not change the long term outlook, but could affect the dividend payment in the next 12 months. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. As an example, we've identified 2 warning signs for South State that you should be aware of before investing. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.
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. 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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