Yahoo Finance Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To $0.30
The board of Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ:HWC) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend by 11% on the 15th of March to $0.30, up from last year's comparable payment of $0.27. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 2.2%, which is below the industry average.
See our latest analysis for Hancock Whitney
Hancock Whitney's Payment Expected To Have Solid Earnings Coverage
While yield is important, another factor to consider about a company's dividend is whether the current payout levels are feasible.
Hancock Whitney has established itself as a dividend paying company with over 10 years history of distributing earnings to shareholders. Using data from its latest earnings report, Hancock Whitney's payout ratio sits at 18%, an extremely comfortable number that shows that it can pay its dividend.
Looking forward, EPS is forecast to rise by 0.9% over the next 3 years. The future payout ratio could be 19% over that time period, according to analyst estimates, which is a good look for the future of the dividend.
Hancock Whitney 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. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $0.96 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $1.08. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 1.2% per annum over that time. Although we can't deny that the dividend has been remarkably stable in the past, the growth has been pretty muted.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Hancock Whitney has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 19% per annum. 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.
Hancock Whitney Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Hancock Whitney is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Hancock Whitney that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
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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.
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