Territorial Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:TBNK) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. This means that investors who purchase Territorial Bancorp's shares on or after the 8th of February will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 23rd of February.

The company's upcoming dividend is US$0.05 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.20 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Territorial Bancorp has a trailing yield of approximately 2.0% on its current stock price of US$10.08. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Territorial Bancorp's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

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. Territorial Bancorp distributed an unsustainably high 127% of its profit as dividends to shareholders last year. Without extenuating circumstances, we'd consider the dividend at risk of a cut.

When the dividend payout ratio is high, as it is in this case, the dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut in the future.

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

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. Territorial Bancorp's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 22% a year over the previous five years. When earnings per share fall, the maximum amount of dividends that can be paid also falls.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Territorial Bancorp has seen its dividend decline 8.4% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see. It's never nice to see earnings and dividends falling, but at least management has cut the dividend rather than potentially risk the company's health in an attempt to maintain it.

Final Takeaway

Is Territorial Bancorp worth buying for its dividend? Not only are earnings per share shrinking, but Territorial Bancorp is paying out a disconcertingly high percentage of its profit as dividends. Generally we think dividend investors should avoid businesses in this situation, as high payout ratios and declining earnings can lead to the dividend being cut. This is not an overtly appealing combination of characteristics, and we're just not that interested in this company's dividend.

So if you're still interested in Territorial Bancorp despite it's poor dividend qualities, you should be well informed on some of the risks facing this stock. To help with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs for Territorial Bancorp (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you ought to be aware of before buying the shares.

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.