Be Sure To Check Out The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend – Simply Wall St

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 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) is about to go ex-dividend in just four 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 an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn’t show on the record date. Therefore, if you purchase PNC Financial Services Group’s shares on or after the 13th of January, you won’t be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 5th of February.

The company’s next dividend payment will be US$1.50 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$6.00 to shareholders. Last year’s total dividend payments show that PNC Financial Services Group has a trailing yield of 3.7% on the current share price of $164.21. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

Check out our latest analysis for PNC Financial Services Group

Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. That’s why it’s good to see PNC Financial Services Group paying out a modest 42% 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 strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it’s easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. Fortunately for readers, PNC Financial Services Group’s earnings per share have been growing at 13% a year for the past five years.

Many investors will assess a company’s dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last 10 years, PNC Financial Services Group has lifted its dividend by approximately 14% a year on average. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see.

To Sum It Up

Is PNC Financial Services Group an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Companies like PNC Financial Services Group that are growing rapidly and paying out a low fraction of earnings, are usually reinvesting heavily in their business. This strategy can add significant value to shareholders over the long term – as long as it’s done without issuing too many new shares. PNC Financial Services Group ticks a lot of boxes for us from a dividend perspective, and we think these characteristics should mark the company as deserving of further attention.

In light of that, while PNC Financial Services Group has an appealing dividend, it’s worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. Every company has risks, and we’ve spotted 1 warning sign for PNC Financial Services Group you should know about.

Generally, we wouldn’t recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here’s a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.

What are the risks and opportunities for PNC Financial Services Group?

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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.

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