Stock Yards Reward Shareholders With 3.2% Dividend Hike, Shares Up

Core Insights - Stock Yards Bancorp (SYBT) announced a quarterly dividend of 32 cents per share, a 3.2% increase from the previous payout, with payment scheduled for October 1, 2025, to shareholders of record as of September 15 [1] - The company has raised its quarterly dividend 18 times since 2011, resulting in a total increase of 167% over this period [1][9] - SYBT's current dividend yield is 1.61%, compared to the industry average of 2.41 [2] Dividend Growth and Financial Health - Prior to the latest increase, SYBT raised its dividend by 3.3% to 31 cents per share in August 2024 [2] - The company maintains a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of 3.38% and a payout ratio of 29% of its earnings, indicating a strong capacity for reinvestment and shareholder returns [4] - As of June 30, 2025, SYBT reported total cash and cash equivalents of $451 million, with short-term debt of $133 million and long-term debt of $327 million, supporting its capital distribution activities [6] Shareholder Value Initiatives - SYBT has a share buyback program approved on July 15, 2025, allowing for the repurchase of up to 1 million shares over the next two years [5][9] - The company has experienced a share price increase of 34.8% over the past year, significantly outperforming the industry growth of 6.2% [7]