Dividend Power Score
A single, comprehensive score designed to measure the true strength of a company’s dividend.
This score combines three essential pillars of dividend quality:
Consistency – Measures how reliable the dividend has been over time, focusing on payment history, stability, and the absence of cuts or suspensions.
Payability – Assesses the company’s financial ability to sustain its dividend, taking into account cash flow, earnings coverage, balance sheet strength, and overall financial health.
Growth – Evaluates the long-term growth of both the dividend and the company’s share price, highlighting businesses that consistently increase payouts while creating shareholder value.
Higher scores identify companies that have historically delivered dependable income alongside sustained dividend growth and long-term capital appreciation.
Company Overview
SmartFinancial, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMBK) is a bank holding company operating in the financial services and commercial banking industry through its wholly owned subsidiary, SmartBank. The company provides a range of traditional banking products and services, including commercial and consumer lending, deposit products, treasury management, and digital banking solutions. Its primary revenue drivers are net interest income from loans and securities, as well as non‑interest income from service fees and related banking activities.
SmartFinancial primarily serves small to mid-sized businesses, professionals, and individual consumers, with a strategic focus on relationship-based banking in growth-oriented Southeastern U.S. markets. The company positions itself as a community-focused bank with scalable infrastructure, combining local decision-making with modern banking technology. SmartFinancial was founded in 2013 and completed its initial public offering in 2016, using public capital to expand organically and through acquisitions across the Southeast.
Business Operations
SmartFinancial operates as a single reportable segment—Community Banking Operations—conducted entirely through SmartBank. The bank generates revenue by originating commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, residential mortgages, and consumer loans, funded primarily by customer deposits. Additional revenue is derived from mortgage banking activities, deposit service charges, and treasury management services.
Operations are primarily domestic, with no material international banking activities. SmartBank controls its core banking platform, digital banking interfaces, and branch network, enabling centralized risk management and compliance while maintaining localized customer service. The company has historically expanded through selective acquisitions of community banks, which are fully integrated into SmartBank rather than operated as standalone subsidiaries.
Strategic Position & Investments
SmartFinancial’s strategy emphasizes disciplined organic growth, balance sheet strength, and targeted acquisitions within contiguous or demographically attractive Southeastern markets. The company has pursued acquisitions to deepen market density and achieve operating leverage, while also investing in digital banking capabilities to enhance customer experience and efficiency.
Notable past acquisitions include Cornerstone Bancshares, Inc. and Sevier County Bancshares, Inc., which expanded SmartBank’s footprint in Tennessee and surrounding states. The company is not a venture-style investor and does not maintain a diversified portfolio of non-banking subsidiaries; instead, capital deployment is focused on core banking expansion, branch development, and technology investments supporting credit, payments, and treasury services.
Geographic Footprint
SmartFinancial is headquartered in Tennessee, with a significant presence across the Southeastern United States. Through SmartBank, the company operates branches and loan production offices in Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida, with market concentration in metropolitan and high-growth regional areas.
All operations are U.S.-based, and the company does not have international branches or foreign banking subsidiaries. Its geographic strategy prioritizes economically diverse markets with favorable population growth, business formation, and commercial lending demand within the Southeast.
Leadership & Governance
SmartFinancial was founded by experienced community bankers, and its leadership emphasizes conservative credit culture, local market expertise, and long-term shareholder value. The board and executive team maintain a governance approach aligned with regulatory compliance, risk management, and community banking principles typical of publicly traded bank holding companies.
Key executives include:
- Billy Carroll – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
- Andrew C. Smith – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
- Randy Smith – President of SmartBank
Public disclosures consistently identify Billy Carroll as founder and CEO; some executive titles below the CEO level may vary slightly across reporting periods. Data inconclusive based on available public sources regarding any additional executive role changes beyond those disclosed in recent regulatory filings.