Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Ohio Valley Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:OVBC) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. Thus, you can purchase Ohio Valley Banc's shares before the 26th of July in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 10th of August.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.22 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.88 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Ohio Valley Banc stock has a trailing yield of around 3.9% on the current share price of US$22.51. 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 check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

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. Ohio Valley Banc paid out a comfortable 37% of its profit last year.

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 Ohio Valley Banc paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. That explains why we're not overly excited about Ohio Valley Banc's flat earnings over the past five years. Better than seeing them fall off a cliff, for sure, but the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. It looks like the Ohio Valley Banc dividends are largely the same as they were 10 years ago.

To Sum It Up

Is Ohio Valley Banc an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Ohio Valley Banc's earnings per share have not grown at all in recent years, although we like that it is paying out a low percentage of its earnings. We're unconvinced on the company's merits, and think there might be better opportunities out there.

Want to learn more about Ohio Valley Banc? Here's a visualisation of its historical rate of revenue and earnings growth.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com