Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To CA$1.43

The board of Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of CA$1.43 on the 28th of February, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 4.6%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Bank of Montreal

Bank of Montreal's Dividend Forecasted To Be Well Covered By Earnings

We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important.

Having distributed dividends for at least 10 years, Bank of Montreal has a long history of paying out a part of its earnings to shareholders. Based on Bank of Montreal's last earnings report, the payout ratio is at a decent 27%, meaning that the company is able to pay out its dividend with a bit of room to spare.

Over the next 3 years, EPS is forecast to fall by 40.7%. Despite that, analysts estimate the future payout ratio could be 43% over the same time period, which is in a pretty comfortable range.

Bank of Montreal Has A Solid Track Record

The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from CA$2.80 total annually to CA$5.72. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.4% a year over that time. Companies like this can be very valuable over the long term, if the decent rate of growth can be maintained.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. It's encouraging to see that Bank of Montreal has been growing its earnings per share at 20% a year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.

Bank of Montreal Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. The company is generating plenty of cash, and the earnings also quite easily cover the distributions. We should point out that the earnings are expected to fall over the next 12 months, which won't be a problem if this doesn't become a trend, but could cause some turbulence in the next year. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, Bank of Montreal has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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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.