Yahoo Finance There's A Lot To Like About Commerce Bancshares' (NASDAQ:CBSH) Upcoming US$0.26 Dividend
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBSH) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. In other words, investors can purchase Commerce Bancshares' shares before the 3rd of June in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 21st of June.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.26 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$1.05 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Commerce Bancshares has a trailing yield of 1.3% on the current share price of $77.88. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.
View our latest analysis for Commerce Bancshares
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. That's why it's good to see Commerce Bancshares paying out a modest 29% of its earnings.
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 the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
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. Fortunately for readers, Commerce Bancshares's earnings per share have been growing at 12% a year 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. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Commerce Bancshares has lifted its dividend by approximately 6.7% a year on average. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.
The Bottom Line
Is Commerce Bancshares worth buying for its dividend? Typically, companies that are growing rapidly and paying out a low fraction of earnings are keeping the profits for reinvestment in the business. This strategy can add significant value to shareholders over the long term - as long as it's done without issuing too many new shares. Commerce Bancshares ticks a lot of boxes for us from a dividend perspective, and we think these characteristics should mark the company as deserving of further attention.
On that note, you'll want to research what risks Commerce Bancshares is facing. Be aware that Commerce Bancshares is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those doesn't sit too well with us...
We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming 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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