Readers hoping to buy Linamar Corporation (TSE:LNR) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company’s books in order to receive a dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Thus, you can purchase Linamar’s shares before the 22nd of August in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 9th of September.
The company’s next dividend payment will be CA$0.20 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of CA$0.80 to shareholders. Last year’s total dividend payments show that Linamar has a trailing yield of 1.2% on the current share price of CA$65.06. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Linamar’s dividend is reliable and sustainable. That’s why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
See our latest analysis for Linamar
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable – hardly an ideal situation. Linamar is paying out just 7.3% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Linamar generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It paid out 16% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.
It’s positive to see that Linamar’s dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.
Click here to see the company’s payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. Linamar’s earnings per share have fallen at approximately 6.7% a year over the previous five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks.
The main way most investors will assess a company’s dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Linamar has delivered an average of 9.6% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Linamar? Earnings per share are down meaningfully, although at least the company is paying out a low and conservative percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It’s definitely not great to see earnings falling, but at least there may be some buffer before the dividend needs to be cut. While it does have some good things going for it, we’re a bit ambivalent and it would take more to convince us of Linamar’s dividend merits.
With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. For example, Linamar has 3 warning signs (and 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) we think you should know about.
Generally, we wouldn’t recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here’s a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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