Heartland Financial USA's (NASDAQ:HTLF) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's

Simply Wall St
·3 min read

The board of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 30th of August to US$0.25. This takes the annual payment to 2.0% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Heartland Financial USA

Heartland Financial USA's 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, Heartland Financial USA's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 12.5% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 21%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2011, the first annual payment was US$0.40, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$1.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 9.6% over that duration. We like to see dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.

The Dividend Has Growth Potential

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Heartland Financial USA has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 7.6% per annum. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.

We'd also point out that Heartland Financial USA has issued stock equal to 15% of shares outstanding. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective.

Our Thoughts On Heartland Financial USA's Dividend

Overall, this is a reasonable dividend, and it being raised is an added bonus. While the payout ratios are a good sign, we are less enthusiastic about the company's dividend record. The dividend looks okay, but there have been some issues in the past, so we would be a little bit cautious.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. To that end, Heartland Financial USA has 4 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.