Premier Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFBI) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A Dividend

Premier Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFBI) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 13th of December will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 31st of December.

Premier Financial Bancorp's next dividend payment will be US$0.15 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.60 per share. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Premier Financial Bancorp has a trailing yield of 3.4% on the current share price of $17.77. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

View our latest analysis for Premier Financial Bancorp

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fortunately Premier Financial Bancorp's payout ratio is modest, at just 37% of profit.

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 how much of its profit Premier Financial Bancorp paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. 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 Premier Financial Bancorp earnings per share are up 7.5% 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 ten years, Premier Financial Bancorp has increased its dividend at approximately 6.5% a year on average. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.

The Bottom Line

Is Premier Financial Bancorp an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? 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, Premier Financial Bancorp appears to have some promise as a dividend stock, and we'd suggest taking a closer look at it.

Want to learn more about Premier Financial Bancorp? Here's a visualisation of its historical rate of revenue and earnings growth.

If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

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