Camden National Corporation's (NASDAQ:CAC) investors are due to receive a payment of $0.42 per share on 30th of April. This makes the dividend yield 5.0%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

Check out our latest analysis for Camden National

Camden National's Dividend Forecasted To Be Well Covered By Earnings

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained.

Camden National has a long history of paying out dividends, with its current track record at a minimum of 10 years. Taking data from its last earnings report, calculating for the company's payout ratio shows 56%, which means that Camden National would be able to pay its last dividend without pressure on the balance sheet.

The next 3 years are set to see EPS grow by 18.0%. Analysts estimate the future payout ratio will be 52% over the same time period, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Camden National Has A Solid Track Record

The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was $0.72, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $1.68. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 8.8% over that duration. Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination as it provides a nice boost to shareholder returns.

The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. Over the past five years, it looks as though Camden National's EPS has declined at around 2.6% a year. A modest decline in earnings isn't great, and it makes it quite unlikely that the dividend will grow in the future unless that trend can be reversed. Earnings are predicted to grow over the next year, but we would remain cautious until a track record of earnings growth is established.

Our Thoughts On Camden National's Dividend

In summary, we are pleased with the dividend remaining consistent, and we think there is a good chance of this continuing in the future. While the payments look sustainable for now, earnings have been shrinking so the dividend could come under pressure in the future. This looks like it could be a good dividend stock going forward, but we would note that the payout ratio has been at higher levels in the past so it could happen again.