Signature Bank (NASDAQ:SBNY) Will Pay A Dividend Of US$0.56

The board of Signature Bank (NASDAQ:SBNY) has announced that it will pay a dividend of US$0.56 per share on the 12th of November. Including this payment, the dividend yield on the stock will be 0.7%, which is a modest boost for shareholders' returns.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that Signature Bank's stock price has increased by 32% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

Check out our latest analysis for Signature Bank

Signature Bank's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. Before making this announcement, Signature Bank was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 14.5%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 15% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Signature Bank Doesn't Have A Long Payment History

Looking back, the dividend has been stable, but the company hasn't been paying a dividend for very long so we can't be confident that the dividend will remain stable through all economic environments. The payments haven't really changed that much since 3 years ago. Signature Bank hasn't been paying a dividend for very long, so we wouldn't get to excited about its record of growth just yet.

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. We are encouraged to see that Signature Bank has grown earnings per share at 12% per 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.

The company has also been raising capital by issuing stock equal to 14% of shares outstanding in the last 12 months. Regularly doing this can be detrimental - it's hard to grow dividends per share when new shares are regularly being created.

We Really Like Signature Bank's Dividend

In summary, it is good to see that the dividend is staying consistent, and we don't think there is any reason to suspect this might change over the medium term. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Signature Bank that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.

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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