ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNOB) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days.  The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend.  The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date.   This means that investors who purchase ConnectOne Bancorp's shares on or after the 14th of May will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 3rd of June.  

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.18 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.72 to shareholders.  Last year's total dividend payments show that ConnectOne Bancorp has a trailing yield of 3.6% on the current share price of US$20.01.    We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose!  We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation.   That's why it's good to see ConnectOne Bancorp paying out a modest 36% of its earnings.  

Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

NasdaqGS:CNOB Historic Dividend May 10th 2024

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks with flat earnings can still be attractive dividend payers, but it is important to be more conservative with your approach and demand a greater margin for safety when it comes to dividend sustainability.   Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time.     That explains why we're not overly excited about ConnectOne Bancorp's flat earnings over the past five years.  Better than seeing them fall off a cliff, for sure, but the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run.    

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth.     In the past 10 years, ConnectOne Bancorp has increased its dividend at approximately 9.1% a year on average.    

The Bottom Line

Should investors buy ConnectOne Bancorp for the upcoming dividend?      ConnectOne Bancorp has seen its earnings per share stagnate in recent years, although the company reinvests more than half of its profits in the business, which could bode well for its future prospects.        ConnectOne Bancorp ticks a lot of boxes for us from a dividend perspective, and we think these characteristics should mark the company as deserving of further attention.  

Ever wonder what the future holds for ConnectOne Bancorp? See what the five analysts we track are forecasting,  with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top 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.