Readers hoping to buy Vivo Energy plc (LON:VVO) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 22nd of August will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 23rd of September.

Vivo Energy's next dividend payment will be US$0.011 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.025 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Vivo Energy has a trailing yield of approximately 1.7% on its current stock price of £1.2. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! As a result, readers should always check whether Vivo Energy has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

Check out our latest analysis for Vivo Energy

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Vivo Energy has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 21% of its income after tax. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. It distributed 37% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.

It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with falling earnings are riskier for dividend shareholders. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Vivo Energy's earnings per share have plummeted approximately 66% a year over the previous five years.

Unfortunately Vivo Energy has only been paying a dividend for a year or so, so there's not much of a history to draw insight from.

The Bottom Line

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Vivo Energy? Vivo Energy has comfortably low cash and profit payout ratios, which may mean the dividend is sustainable even in the face of a sharp decline in earnings per share. Still, we consider declining earnings to be a warning sign. Overall we're not hugely bearish on the stock, but there are likely better dividend investments out there.

Curious what other investors think of Vivo Energy? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow .

A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.