CIBC offers a rising dividend with a low p/e

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $123 (Toronto symbol CM; Income-Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 443.7 million; Market cap: $54.6 billion; Dividend yield: 4.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.cibc.com) is the smallest of Canada’s big five banks, with assets of $595.0 billion. The bank recently announced that it will raise its quarterly dividend by 2.3%. Starting with the October 2018 payment, investors will receive $1.36 a share instead of $1.33. The new annual rate of $5.44 yields a high 4.4%. In the latest quarter, dividends equalled 43.0% of earnings. CIBC’s revenue rose 28.1%, from $12.7 billion in 2013 to $16.3 billion in 2017 (fiscal years end October 31). Chicago purchase already paying off Those gains are partly due the bank’s June 2017 acquisition of Chicago-based PrivateBancorp Inc. That firm mainly lends to small and medium-sized businesses. It also provides wealth management services. CIBC paid $6.6 billion in cash and stock. If you exclude costs related to the PrivateBancorp purchase and other unusual items, CIBC’s overall earnings jumped 32.3%,…