Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of $0.20

The board of Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.20 per share on the 15th of September. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 4.0%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Associated Banc-Corp

Associated Banc-Corp'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.

Having distributed dividends for at least 10 years, Associated Banc-Corp has a long history of paying out a part of its earnings to shareholders. Taking data from its last earnings report, calculating for the company's payout ratio shows 38%, which means that Associated Banc-Corp would be able to pay its last dividend without pressure on the balance sheet.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 24.3%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the future payout ratio will be 34%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Associated Banc-Corp Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $0.04 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $0.80. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 35% a year over that time. Rapidly growing dividends for a long time is a very valuable feature for an income stock.

Associated Banc-Corp Could Grow Its Dividend

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. We are encouraged to see that Associated Banc-Corp has grown earnings per share at 8.4% per year over the past five years. Associated Banc-Corp definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.

Associated Banc-Corp 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. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 8 Associated Banc-Corp analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. Is Associated Banc-Corp not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out 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.

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