Should Income Investors Look At County Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICBK) Before Its Ex-Dividend?

Readers hoping to buy County Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICBK) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. If you purchase the stock on or after the 3rd of September, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 18th of September.

County Bancorp's next dividend payment will be US$0.07 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.28 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that County Bancorp has a trailing yield of 1.4% on the current share price of $19.73. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether County Bancorp's dividend is reliable and sustainable. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

See our latest analysis for County 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 County Bancorp paying out a modest 26% of its earnings.

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.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. County Bancorp's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 12% a year over the previous five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. County Bancorp has delivered 9.8% dividend growth per year on average over the past six years.

The Bottom Line

Is County Bancorp an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? County Bancorp's earnings per share are down over the past five years, although it has the cushion of a low payout ratio, which would suggest a cut to the dividend is relatively unlikely. We're unconvinced on the company's merits, and think there might be better opportunities out there.

If you're not too concerned about County Bancorp's ability to pay dividends, you should still be mindful of some of the other risks that this business faces. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for County Bancorp you should know about.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

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