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Be Sure To Check Out Arrow Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:AROW) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend

Arrow Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:AROW) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 1st of December will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of December.

Arrow Financial's next dividend payment will be US$0.26 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.01 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Arrow Financial stock has a trailing yield of around 3.4% on the current share price of $30.91. 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! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

View our latest analysis for Arrow Financial

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Fortunately Arrow Financial's payout ratio is modest, at just 41% of profit.

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 how much of its profit Arrow Financial paid out over the last 12 months.

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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 fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Arrow Financial earnings per share are up 9.5% per annum over the last five years.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Arrow Financial has delivered 3.3% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

The Bottom Line

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Arrow Financial? It has been growing its earnings per share somewhat in recent years, although it reinvests more than half its earnings in the business, which could suggest there are some growth projects that have not yet reached fruition. Arrow Financial 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.

On that note, you'll want to research what risks Arrow Financial is facing. Our analysis shows 1 warning sign for Arrow Financial and you should be aware of it before buying any shares.

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.

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