Here's What We Like About Rocky Brands' (NASDAQ:RCKY) Upcoming Dividend
Rocky Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCKY) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in four days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 1st of March will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 16th of March.
Rocky Brands's next dividend payment will be US$0.14 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.56 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Rocky Brands has a trailing yield of 1.6% on the current share price of $34.96. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Rocky Brands has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
See our latest analysis for Rocky Brands
Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Rocky Brands paid out a comfortable 25% of its profit last year. 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. The good news is it paid out just 20% of its free cash flow in the last year.
It's positive to see that Rocky Brands'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 how much of its profit Rocky Brands paid out over the last 12 months.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. For this reason, we're glad to see Rocky Brands's earnings per share have risen 11% per annum over the last five years. Earnings per share are growing rapidly and the company is keeping more than half of its earnings within the business; an attractive combination which could suggest the company is focused on reinvesting to grow earnings further. This will make it easier to fund future growth efforts and we think this is an attractive combination - plus the dividend can always be increased later.
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, Rocky Brands has increased its dividend at approximately 4.3% a year on average. Earnings per share have been growing much quicker than dividends, potentially because Rocky Brands is keeping back more of its profits to grow the business.
To Sum It Up
Should investors buy Rocky Brands for the upcoming dividend? We love that Rocky Brands is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.
In light of that, while Rocky Brands has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. For example - Rocky Brands has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting 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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