Trustmark (NASDAQ:TRMK) Will Pay A Dividend Of US$0.23

The board of Trustmark Corporation (NASDAQ:TRMK) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 15th of December, with investors receiving US$0.23 per share. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 2.9%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Trustmark

Trustmark's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Before making this announcement, Trustmark was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

EPS is set to fall by 23.8% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 44%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future.

Trustmark Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The last annual payment of US$0.92 was flat on the first annual payment 10 years ago. Slow and steady dividend growth might not sound that exciting, but dividends have been stable for ten years, which we think makes this a fairly attractive offer.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Trustmark has impressed us by growing EPS 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.

We Really Like Trustmark's Dividend

Overall, we think that this is a great income investment, and we think that maintaining the dividend this year may have been a conservative choice. 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 of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Trustmark that you should be aware of before investing. 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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