PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ:PACW) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of $0.25

PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ:PACW) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.25 per share on the 28th of February. This payment means that the dividend yield will be 3.4%, which is around the industry average.

View our latest analysis for PacWest Bancorp

PacWest Bancorp's Payment Expected To Have Solid Earnings Coverage

Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much.

Having distributed dividends for at least 10 years, PacWest Bancorp 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 30%, which means that PacWest Bancorp would be able to pay its last dividend without pressure on the balance sheet.

Looking forward, EPS is forecast to rise by 9.4% over the next 3 years. Analysts estimate the future payout ratio will be 28% over the same time period, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $0.72 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $1.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 3.3% a year over that time. We're glad to see the dividend has risen, but with a limited rate of growth and fluctuations in the payments the total shareholder return may be limited.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. However, PacWest Bancorp has only grown its earnings per share at 3.0% per annum over the past five years. Earnings growth is slow, but on the plus side, the dividend payout ratio is low and dividends could grow faster than earnings, if the company decides to increase its payout ratio.

In Summary

In summary, we are pleased with the dividend remaining consistent, and we think there is a good chance of this continuing in the future. While the payout ratios are a good sign, we are less enthusiastic about the company's dividend record. The payment isn't stellar, but it could make a decent addition to a dividend portfolio.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for PacWest Bancorp that investors should take into consideration. 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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