The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCKT) Pays A US$0.095 Dividend In Just Four Days
Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCKT) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 24th of September will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 9th of October.
Hackett Group's next dividend payment will be US$0.095 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.38 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Hackett Group has a trailing yield of 3.0% on the current share price of $12.73. 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 Hackett Group can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
See our latest analysis for Hackett Group
Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Its dividend payout ratio is 76% of profit, which means the company is paying out a majority of its earnings. The relatively limited profit reinvestment could slow the rate of future earnings growth. It could become a concern if earnings started to decline. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. It distributed 27% 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 that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's not encouraging to see that Hackett Group's earnings are effectively flat over the past five years. Better than seeing them fall off a cliff, for sure, but the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run. A payout ratio of 76% looks like a tacit signal from management that reinvestment opportunities in the business are low. In line with limited earnings growth in recent years, this is not the most appealing combination.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the past eight years, Hackett Group has increased its dividend at approximately 18% a year on average.
The Bottom Line
Has Hackett Group got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Earnings per share have been flat and Hackett Group's dividend payouts are within reasonable limits; without a sharp decline in earnings we feel that the dividend is likely somewhat sustainable. Overall, it's hard to get excited about Hackett Group from a dividend perspective.
In light of that, while Hackett Group has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. For example - Hackett Group has 3 warning signs we think you should be aware of.
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.
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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