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Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Community Trust Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTBI) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 12th of September will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 1st of October.
Community Trust Bancorp's next dividend payment will be US$0.38 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$1.44 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Community Trust Bancorp has a trailing yield of 3.7% on the current share price of $39.21. 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 Community Trust Bancorp
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. That's why it's good to see Community Trust Bancorp paying out a modest 39% of its earnings.
Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. This is why it's a relief to see Community Trust Bancorp earnings per share are up 6.9% per annum over the last five years.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the past 10 years, Community Trust Bancorp has increased its dividend at approximately 3.2% a year on average. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.
To Sum It Up
Has Community Trust Bancorp got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? It has been growing its earnings per share somewhat in recent years, although it reinvests more than half its earnings in the business, which could suggest there are some growth projects that have not yet reached fruition. In summary, Community Trust Bancorp appears to have some promise as a dividend stock, and we'd suggest taking a closer look at it.