Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of $0.60

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.60 per share on the 5th of June. This payment means the dividend yield will be 1.3%, which is below the average for the industry.

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Capital One Financial's Dividend Forecasted To Be Well Covered By Earnings

If it is predictable over a long period, even low dividend yields can be attractive.

Capital One Financial has a long history of paying out dividends, with its current track record at a minimum of 10 years. While past data isn't a guarantee for the future, Capital One Financial's latest earnings report puts its payout ratio at 20%, showing that the company can pay out its dividends comfortably.

Looking forward, EPS is forecast to rise by 70.2% over the next 3 years. Analysts forecast the future payout ratio could be 14% over the same time horizon, which is a number we think the company can maintain.

See our latest analysis for Capital One Financial

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $1.20 in 2015, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $2.40. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.2% over that duration. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Capital One Financial has impressed us by growing EPS at 18% 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.

Capital One Financial Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

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. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 11 analysts we track are forecasting for Capital One Financial for free with public analyst estimates for the company. 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.