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 Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBC) is about to go ex-dividend in just two days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase Eastern Bankshares' shares before the 30th of November to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of December.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.11 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.44 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Eastern Bankshares has a trailing yield of 3.6% on the current share price of $12.08. 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 investigate whether Eastern Bankshares can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

View our latest analysis for Eastern Bankshares

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Eastern Bankshares reported a loss last year, so it's not great to see that it has continued paying a dividend.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. Eastern Bankshares was unprofitable last year and, unfortunately, the general trend suggests its earnings have been in decline over the last three years, making us wonder if the dividend is sustainable at all.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Eastern Bankshares has delivered an average of 22% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past three years of dividend payments.

Get our latest analysis on Eastern Bankshares's balance sheet health here.

Final Takeaway

Has Eastern Bankshares got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? It's definitely not great to see that it paid a dividend despite reporting a loss last year. Worse, the general trend in its earnings looks negative in recent times. Eastern Bankshares doesn't appear to have a lot going for it, and we're not inclined to take a risk on owning it for the dividend.

Having said that, if you're looking at this stock without much concern for the dividend, you should still be familiar of the risks involved with Eastern Bankshares. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Eastern Bankshares you should know about.

A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield dividend stocks.

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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.