Investar Holding (NASDAQ:ISTR) Is Increasing Its Dividend To US$0.08

Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 31st of January to US$0.08. This takes the annual payment to 1.8% of the current stock price, which unfortunately is below what the industry is paying.

View our latest analysis for Investar Holding

Investar Holding's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Investar Holding's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Analysts expect a massive rise in earnings per share in the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 23%, so there isn't too much pressure on the dividend.

Investar Holding Is Still Building Its Track Record

The dividend's track record has been pretty solid, but with only 7 years of history we want to see a few more years of history before making any solid conclusions. Since 2014, the first annual payment was US$0.027, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$0.32. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 42% over that duration. 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.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. Over the past five years, it looks as though Investar Holding's EPS has declined at around 12% a year. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.

In Summary

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We don't think Investar Holding is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. As an example, we've identified 4 warning signs for Investar Holding that you should be aware of before investing. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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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.