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First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of US$0.12

The board of First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 16th of November, with investors receiving US$0.12 per share. Based on this payment, the dividend yield will be 2.5%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

View our latest analysis for First Community

First Community's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. Before making this announcement, First Community was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.

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EPS is set to fall by 9.7% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 29%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

First Community Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2011, the dividend has gone from US$0.16 to US$0.48. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 12% over that duration. So, dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. It's encouraging to see First Community has been growing its earnings per share at 15% a year over the past five years. Growth in EPS bodes well for the dividend, as does the low payout ratio that the company is currently reporting.

First Community Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, we think that this is a great income investment, and we think that maintaining the dividend this year may have been a conservative choice. The company is generating plenty of cash, and the earnings also quite easily cover the distributions. If earnings do fall over the next 12 months, the dividend could be buffeted a little bit, but we don't think it should cause too much of a problem in the long term. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 5 analysts we track are forecasting for First Community for free with public analyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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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