The board of Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 7th of March, with investors receiving $0.1425 per share. This means the dividend yield will be fairly typical at 3.7%.

View our latest analysis for Eagle Bancorp Montana

Eagle Bancorp Montana's Earnings Will Easily Cover The Distributions

We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time.

Eagle Bancorp Montana has a long history of paying out dividends, with its current track record at a minimum of 10 years. Taking data from its last earnings report, calculating for the company's payout ratio shows 52%, which means that Eagle Bancorp Montana would be able to pay its last dividend without pressure on the balance sheet.

Looking forward, EPS is forecast to rise by 55.7% over the next 3 years. Analysts estimate the future payout ratio will be 33% over the same time period, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from $0.29 total annually to $0.57. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.0% over that duration. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. However, things aren't all that rosy. Over the past five years, it looks as though Eagle Bancorp Montana's EPS has declined at around 5.9% a year. If earnings continue declining, the company may have to make the difficult choice of reducing the dividend or even stopping it completely - the opposite of dividend growth. Earnings are forecast to grow over the next 12 months and if that happens we could still be a little bit cautious until it becomes a pattern.

In Summary

Overall, a consistent dividend is a good thing, and we think that Eagle Bancorp Montana has the ability to continue this into the future. While the payments look sustainable for now, earnings have been shrinking so the dividend could come under pressure in the future. The payment isn't stellar, but it could make a decent addition to a dividend portfolio.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Eagle Bancorp Montana that you should be aware of before investing. Is Eagle Bancorp Montana 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.