Cambridge Bancorp (NASDAQ:CATC) Passed Our Checks, And It's About To Pay A US$0.53 Dividend
Readers hoping to buy Cambridge Bancorp (NASDAQ:CATC) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 4th of November will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 19th of November.
Cambridge Bancorp's next dividend payment will be US$0.53 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$2.12 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Cambridge Bancorp stock has a trailing yield of around 3.4% on the current share price of $63.09. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether Cambridge Bancorp can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Check out our latest analysis for Cambridge Bancorp
Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Fortunately Cambridge Bancorp's payout ratio is modest, at just 47% of profit.
When a company paid out less in dividends than it earned in profit, this generally suggests its dividend is affordable. The lower the % of its profit that it pays out, the greater the margin of safety for the dividend if the business enters a downturn.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Cambridge Bancorp earnings per share are up 3.3% per annum over the last five years.
We'd also point out that Cambridge Bancorp issued a meaningful number of new shares in the past year. Trying to grow the dividend while issuing large amounts of new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Cambridge Bancorp has lifted its dividend by approximately 4.2% a year on average. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.
Final Takeaway
Is Cambridge Bancorp worth buying for its dividend? Cambridge Bancorp has seen its earnings per share grow slowly in recent years, and the company reinvests more than half of its profits in the business, which generally bodes well for its future prospects. Cambridge Bancorp ticks a lot of boxes for us from a dividend perspective, and we think these characteristics should mark the company as deserving of further attention.
In light of that, while Cambridge Bancorp has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. For example, we've found 1 warning sign for Cambridge Bancorp that we recommend you consider before investing in the business.
If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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