Cuts should bolster your income

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $61 is a buy. The bank (Toronto symbol CM; Income-Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 904.7 million; Market cap: $55.2 billion; Dividend yield: 5.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.cibc.com) is raising your quarterly dividend by 3.4%. Starting with the January 2024 payment, investors will receive $0.90 a share instead of $0.87. The new annual rate of $3.60 yields a high 5.9%. The new rate implies a dividend payout ratio of 55.0% of CIBC’s projected earnings for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024 ($6.55 a share). That’s above its target payout range of 40% to 50%. However, CIBC cut 5% of its workforce in the past year. As well, 85.0% of its Canadian customers do their banking online, up from 82.8% a year earlier. That lowers overall operating costs. The savings should also let the bank keep raising your dividend, and the higher earnings should bring the payout ratio back down to the target range. CIBC is a buy. buy. …