Just 3 Days Before TCF Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:TCF) Will Be Trading Ex-Dividend

It looks like TCF Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:TCF) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 13th of February, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 2nd of March.

TCF Financial's next dividend payment will be US$0.35 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.40 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, TCF Financial has a trailing yield of approximately 3.3% on its current stock price of $42.97. 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! So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

View our latest analysis for TCF Financial

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. TCF Financial paid out more than half (51%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. TCF Financial paid a dividend despite reporting negative free cash flow over the last twelve months. This may be due to heavy investment in the business, but this is still suboptimal from a dividend sustainability perspective.

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 with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. This is why it's a relief to see TCF Financial earnings per share are up 6.6% per annum over the last five years.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. TCF Financial has delivered 14% dividend growth per year on average over the past ten 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

Is TCF Financial an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share have been growing at a reasonable rate, and the company is paying out a bit over half its earnings as dividends. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're on the fence about its dividend prospects.

Ever wonder what the future holds for TCF Financial? See what the 14 analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow

A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

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