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Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) Looks Like A Good Stock, And It's Going Ex-Dividend Soon

Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) is about to go ex-dividend in just four days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order 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. In other words, investors can purchase Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida's shares before the 14th of December in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of December.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.17 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.68 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has a trailing yield of 2.0% on the current stock price of $33.31. 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! As a result, readers should always check whether Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

View our latest analysis for Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Fortunately Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida's payout ratio is modest, at just 31% of profit.

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.

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Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. For this reason, we're glad to see Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida's earnings per share have risen 20% per annum over the last five years.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida has delivered an average of 14% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past two years of dividend payments. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.

To Sum It Up

Is Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Companies like Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida that are growing rapidly and paying out a low fraction of earnings, are usually reinvesting heavily in their business. Perhaps even more importantly - this can sometimes signal management is focused on the long term future of the business. We think this is a pretty attractive combination, and would be interested in investigating Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida more closely.

On that note, you'll want to research what risks Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida is facing. To help with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.

A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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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