U.S. growth will spur TD’s dividend

Article Excerpt

TD Bank recently announced two big acquisitions in the U.S. These new businesses will expand its already-strong presence south of the border as the world’s largest economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. TD’s additional earnings will also continue to fuel its dividend growth. TORONTO-DOMINION BANK $87 is a buy. The lender (Toronto symbol TD; Income-Growth Payer Portfolio; Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $156.6 billion; Dividend yield: 4.1%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.td.com) last raised your quarterly dividend with the January 2022 payment. Investors now receive $0.89 a share, up 12.7% from $0.79. The new annual rate of $3.56 yields a high 4.1%. TD’s revenue rose 20.6%, from $36.20 billion in 2017 to $43.65 billion in 2020 (fiscal years end October 31). However, revenue fell 2.2% to $42.69 billion in 2021, mainly due to a 5.2% drop in revenue at its Wholesale Banking (securities trading) division. Earnings before unusual items rose 19.1%, from $10.27 billion in 2017 to $12.23 billion in 2019. Due to fewer…