Sierra Bancorp's (NASDAQ:BSRR) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 12th of August to US$0.22. This makes the dividend yield 3.4%, which is above the industry average.

See our latest analysis for Sierra Bancorp

Sierra Bancorp's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. However, Sierra Bancorp's earnings easily cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 5.6%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 35% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Sierra Bancorp 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 2011, the first annual payment was US$0.24, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$0.84. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 13% over that duration. It is good to see that there has been strong dividend growth, and that there haven't been any cuts for a long time.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

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 Sierra Bancorp has been growing its earnings per share at 13% 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.

Sierra Bancorp 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 easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 6 analysts we track are forecasting for Sierra Bancorp for free with public analyst estimates for the company. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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