It has been a stinker of a year for the Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) share price. In the space of 12 months, shares in the $4.5 billion Brisbane-based bank have fallen 17% in value — severely underperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).
However, shareholders were lucky enough to land more dividends in 2022 than the previous year. This begs the question: are Bank of Queensland shares worthwhile for passive income purposes?
Let's delve into the details.
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Is the dividend competitive with other banks?
When it comes to investing, we are all looking for the best place to deploy our cash. That's why it would make sense to assess how the dividends from the Bank of Queensland stack up against the big four.
| ASX-listed company | Dividend yield | Income from $5,000 invested |
| Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) | 6.7% | $335 |
| Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) | 3.7% | $185 |
| Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) | 5.3% | $265 |
| National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) | 5.0% | $250 |
| Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) | 6.2% | $310 |
The table above shows that the Bank of Queensland can lay claim to the highest dividend yield of the bunch for now. Yet, the latest data shows that the Queensland bank holds the thinnest profit margin of those listed above.
At the end of FY22, the 148-year-old recorded a bottom-line margin of 25.5%. Meanwhile, the big four — except for Westpac — achieved a margin above 30% for the financial period. A deeper look into the financial statements would be needed to understand why.
Would I buy Bank of Queensland shares?
At a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.7 times, this Aussie bank share looks considerably cheaper than CBA (read more here for my verdict on CBA shares).
Furthermore, the dividend yield on Bank of Queensland shares has historically hovered above 5%. That is certainly a respectable passive return. However, my concerns arise when considering total shareholder returns.
In the past five years, shareholders are down 27% even with the inclusion of dividends. Since the Bank of Queensland commenced trading on the ASX in 1999, the share price has climbed approximately 29%. That works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.1%.
Now, the next 20 years could be entirely different. However, being a bank outside of the big four is a tough business. It truly is a David and Goliath story if an outsider can outperform the big dogs of Aussie banking.
For that reason, I'd personally look for my passive income elsewhere.
