First National Financial Corporation (TSE:FN) Looks Like A Good Stock, And It's Going Ex-Dividend Soon
Readers hoping to buy First National Financial Corporation (TSE:FN) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. If you purchase the stock on or after the 29th of October, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 16th of November.
First National Financial's next dividend payment will be CA$0.16 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed CA$1.95 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that First National Financial has a trailing yield of 5.7% on the current share price of CA$34.43. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether First National Financial can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
View our latest analysis for First National Financial
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. First National Financial is paying out an acceptable 75% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies.
Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at First National Financial, with earnings per share up 9.8% on average over the last five years.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. First National Financial has delivered 2.7% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid First National Financial? First National Financial has been generating some growth in earnings per share while paying out more than half of its earnings to shareholders in the form of dividends. We're unconvinced on the company's merits, and think there might be better opportunities out there.
Wondering what the future holds for First National Financial? See what the three analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow
If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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. 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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