Yahoo Finance Investar Holding's (NASDAQ:ISTR) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's
Investar Holding Corporation's (NASDAQ:ISTR) dividend will be increasing to US$0.08 on 29th of October. Even though the dividend went up, the yield is still quite low at only 1.4%.
See our latest analysis for Investar Holding
Investar Holding's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions
The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. However, prior to this announcement, Investar Holding's 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 rise by 21.7% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 17% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
Investar Holding Doesn't Have A Long Payment History
Even though the company has been paying a consistent dividend for a while, we would like to see a few more years before we feel comfortable relying on it. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from US$0.027 to US$0.32. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 42% a year over that time. Investar Holding has been growing its dividend quite rapidly, which is exciting. However, the short payment history makes us question whether this performance will persist across a full market cycle.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Investar Holding has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 13% per annum. Investar Holding definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.
Investar Holding Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Investar Holding is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
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. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Investar Holding that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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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