Civista Bancshares' (NASDAQ:CIVB) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's

Simply Wall St
·2 min read

Civista Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CIVB) will increase its dividend on the 1st of November to US$0.14. The announced payment will take the dividend yield to 2.1%, which is in line with the average for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Civista Bancshares

Civista Bancshares' Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. However, prior to this announcement, Civista Bancshares' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 1.5% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could be 25%, which we are pretty comfortable with and we think is feasible on an earnings basis.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

Civista Bancshares 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$0.12 in 2011 to the most recent annual payment of US$0.56. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 17% per annum over that time. 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 Civista Bancshares' Dividend Growing

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. It's encouraging to see Civista Bancshares has been growing its earnings per share at 5.8% a year over the past five years. Growth in EPS bodes well for the dividend, as does the low payout ratio that the company is currently reporting.

We Really Like Civista Bancshares' Dividend

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. The earnings easily cover the company's distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. 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 in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Civista Bancshares that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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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