WSFS Financial Corporation's (NASDAQ:WSFS) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to $0.17 on 23rd of May. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 1.3% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.

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WSFS Financial's Dividend Forecasted To Be Well Covered By Earnings

Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end.

WSFS Financial has a long history of paying out dividends, with its current track record at a minimum of 10 years. While past data isn't a guarantee for the future, WSFS Financial's latest earnings report puts its payout ratio at 13%, showing that the company can pay out its dividends comfortably.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 5.9% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the future payout ratio could be 14% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

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WSFS Financial Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The dividend has gone from an annual total of $0.16 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of $0.68. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 16% a year over that time. We can see that payments have shown some very nice upward momentum without faltering, which provides some reassurance that future payments will also be reliable.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. It's encouraging to see that WSFS Financial has been growing its earnings per share at 10% a year over the past five years. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.

We Really Like WSFS Financial's Dividend

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 5 WSFS Financial analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. 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.