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 Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC) is about to go ex-dividend in just three 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. Accordingly, Great Southern Bancorp investors that purchase the stock on or after the 30th of December will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 14th of January.

The company's upcoming dividend is US$0.40 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$1.60 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Great Southern Bancorp stock has a trailing yield of around 2.6% on the current share price of US$61.27. 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 Great Southern Bancorp has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Great Southern Bancorp

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 Great Southern Bancorp paying out a modest 31% of its earnings.

Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.

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

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's not encouraging to see that Great Southern Bancorp's earnings are effectively flat 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.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Great Southern Bancorp has delivered 7.2% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years.

To Sum It Up

Is Great Southern Bancorp an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share have been flat in recent years, although Great Southern Bancorp reinvests more than half its earnings in the business, which could suggest there are some growth projects that have not yet reached fruition. Overall, Great Southern Bancorp looks like a promising dividend stock in this analysis, and we think it would be worth investigating further.

Wondering what the future holds for Great Southern Bancorp? See what the three 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.