Royal Bank: 147 years of dividends

Article Excerpt

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $93 (Toronto symbol RY; Income-Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.5 billion; Market cap: $139.5 billion; Dividend yield: 3.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www. rbc.com) is Canada’s largest bank, with assets of $1.2 trillion. It has over 16 million individual and business clients in Canada, the U.S. and 36 other countries. Royal began operating in 1864, and has paid regular dividends since 1870. The bank froze its annual dividend rate at $2.00 a share between 2008 and 2010 during the financial crisis, but has increased the payment each year since then. The most recent rise came with the bank’s May 2017 quarterly payment to investors. They now receive $0.87 a share, up 4.8% from $0.83. The new annual rate of $3.48 yields 3.7%. Royal aims to pay out between 40% and 50% of its earnings as dividends. In the most recent quarter, dividends accounted for 47% of its earnings. Acquisition looks like a shrewd move Royal’s revenue rose 31.8%, from…