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We Wouldn't Be Too Quick To Buy Bryn Mawr Bank Corporation (NASDAQ:BMTC) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend

Bryn Mawr Bank Corporation (NASDAQ:BMTC) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 31st of July in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 1st of September.

Bryn Mawr Bank's upcoming dividend is US$0.27 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$1.04 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Bryn Mawr Bank stock has a trailing yield of around 3.7% on the current share price of $27.83. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Bryn Mawr Bank has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Bryn Mawr Bank

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Bryn Mawr Bank is paying out an acceptable 57% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies.

Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

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Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with falling earnings are riskier for dividend shareholders. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. That's why it's not ideal to see Bryn Mawr Bank's earnings per share have been shrinking at 2.3% a year over the previous five years.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Bryn Mawr Bank has lifted its dividend by approximately 6.4% a year on average. That's interesting, but the combination of a growing dividend despite declining earnings can typically only be achieved by paying out more of the company's profits. This can be valuable for shareholders, but it can't go on forever.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy Bryn Mawr Bank for the upcoming dividend? Earnings per share have been declining and the company is paying out more than half its profits to shareholders; not an enticing combination. These characteristics don't generally lead to outstanding dividend performance, and investors may not be happy with the results of owning this stock for its dividend.

With that in mind though, if the poor dividend characteristics of Bryn Mawr Bank don't faze you, it's worth being mindful of the risks involved with this business. Our analysis shows 1 warning sign for Bryn Mawr Bank and you should be aware of this before buying any shares.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting 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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