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Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) Is Increasing Its Dividend To CA$1.39

Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 26th of August to CA$1.39. Based on the announced payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 4.1%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Bank of Montreal

Bank of Montreal's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. Prior to this announcement, Bank of Montreal's earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. We think that cash flows should take priority over earnings, so this is definitely a worry for the dividend going forward.

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Over the next year, EPS is forecast to fall by 19.3%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could be 38%, which we are pretty comfortable with and we think is feasible on an earnings basis.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

Bank of Montreal Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2012, the first annual payment was CA$2.80, compared to the most recent full-year payment of CA$5.56. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.1% over that duration. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Bank of Montreal has impressed us by growing EPS at 17% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.

Our Thoughts On Bank of Montreal's Dividend

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Bank of Montreal will make a great income stock. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

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. Just as an example, we've come across 2 warning signs for Bank of Montreal you should be aware of, and 1 of them is significant. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.