Columbia Banking Rewards Shareholders With a 2.8% Dividend Hike

Core Insights - Columbia Banking System, Inc. (COLB) has announced a quarterly dividend of 37 cents per share, reflecting a 2.8% increase from the previous payout [1][10] - The company has a current dividend yield of 5.59%, significantly higher than the industry average of 3.27% [2] - Over the past five years, COLB has increased its dividend three times, maintaining a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of 7.05% and a payout ratio of 48% [2][4] Dividend and Capital Distribution - The upcoming dividend will be paid on December 15, 2025, to shareholders of record as of November 28, 2025 [1] - Columbia Banking has authorized a new share repurchase plan of up to $700 million, effective through November 30, 2026 [5][10] - As of September 30, 2025, the company reported total cash and cash equivalents of $2.3 billion and short-term debt of $2.9 billion, with no long-term debt [5][10] Price Performance - Over the past six months, shares of Columbia Banking have increased by 3.4%, outperforming the industry growth of 2.3% [7]