William Penn Bancorporation (NASDAQ:WMPN) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 2 days.  The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend.  The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date.   Therefore, if you purchase William Penn Bancorporation's shares on or after the 26th of April, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 9th of May.  

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.03 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.12 to shareholders.  Last year's total dividend payments show that William Penn Bancorporation has a trailing yield of 1.0% on the current share price of US$12.10.    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.

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation.   William Penn Bancorporation distributed an unsustainably high 138% of its profit as dividends to shareholders last year. Without more sustainable payment behaviour, the dividend looks precarious.  

When a company pays out a dividend that is not well covered by profits, the dividend is generally seen as more vulnerable to being cut.

Click here to see how much of its profit William Penn Bancorporation paid out over the last 12 months.

NasdaqCM:WMPN Historic Dividend April 23rd 2024

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely.   Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time.     With that in mind, we're discomforted by William Penn Bancorporation's 6.9% per annum decline in earnings in the past five years.  When earnings per share fall, the maximum amount of dividends that can be paid also falls.    

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time.     In the past 10 years, William Penn Bancorporation has increased its dividend at approximately 6.9% a year on average.       The only way to pay higher dividends when earnings are shrinking is either to pay out a larger percentage of profits, spend cash from the balance sheet, or borrow the money.  William Penn Bancorporation is already paying out a high percentage of its income, so without earnings growth, we're doubtful of whether this dividend will grow much in the future.    

Final Takeaway

Is William Penn Bancorporation worth buying for its dividend?      Earnings per share are in decline and William Penn Bancorporation is paying out what we feel is an uncomfortably high percentage of its profit as dividends.  It's not that we hate the business, but we feel that these characeristics are not desirable for investors seeking a reliable dividend stock to own for the long term.        All things considered, we're not optimistic about its dividend prospects, and would be inclined to leave it on the shelf for now.  

Although, if you're still interested in William Penn Bancorporation and want to know more, you'll find it very useful to know what risks this stock faces.     For example, we've found 2 warning signs for William Penn Bancorporation (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that deserve your attention before investing in the shares.  

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.

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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.