Readers hoping to buy Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:GNTY) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Meaning, you will need to purchase Guaranty Bancshares' shares before the 24th of March to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 12th of April.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.23 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.88 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Guaranty Bancshares has a trailing yield of 3.1% on the current share price of $28.6. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Guaranty Bancshares's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether Guaranty Bancshares has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
View our latest analysis for Guaranty Bancshares
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fortunately Guaranty Bancshares's payout ratio is modest, at just 26% of profit.
Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.
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 earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's encouraging to see Guaranty Bancshares has grown its earnings rapidly, up 21% a year for the past five years.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Guaranty Bancshares has delivered 11% dividend growth per year on average over the past six years. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Guaranty Bancshares? Companies like Guaranty Bancshares 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, Guaranty Bancshares appears to have some promise as a dividend stock, and we'd suggest taking a closer look at it.