Yahoo Finance Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of CA$1.06
The Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS) has announced that it will pay a dividend of CA$1.06 per share on the 29th of July. This makes the dividend yield 6.7%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.
See our latest analysis for Bank of Nova Scotia
Bank of Nova Scotia's Earnings Will Easily Cover The Distributions
A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained.
Having distributed dividends for at least 10 years, Bank of Nova Scotia has a long history of paying out a part of its earnings to shareholders. Past distributions do not necessarily guarantee future ones, but Bank of Nova Scotia's payout ratio of 70% is a good sign as this means that earnings decently cover dividends.
Over the next 3 years, EPS is forecast to expand by 25.8%. The future payout ratio could be 61% over that time period, according to analyst estimates, which is a good look for the future of the dividend.
Bank of Nova Scotia Has A Solid Track Record
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was CA$2.48, compared to the most recent full-year payment of CA$4.24. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 5.5% over that duration. The dividend has been growing very nicely for a number of years, and has given its shareholders some nice income in their portfolios.
Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. However, things aren't all that rosy. It's not great to see that Bank of Nova Scotia's earnings per share has fallen at approximately 2.4% per year over the past five years. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this can turn into a longer term trend.
In Summary
Overall, we think Bank of Nova Scotia is a solid choice as a dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't raised this year. While the payments look sustainable for now, earnings have been shrinking so the dividend could come under pressure in the future. The dividend looks okay, but there have been some issues in the past, so we would be a little bit cautious.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Bank of Nova Scotia that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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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