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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 Hoftex Group AG (MUN:NBH) is about to go ex-dividend in just 2 days. You can purchase shares before the 15th of July in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 17th of July.

Hoftex Group's upcoming dividend is €0.25 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of €0.25 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Hoftex Group has a trailing yield of approximately 1.8% on its current stock price of €13.6. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

View our latest analysis for Hoftex Group

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Hoftex Group has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 17% of its income after tax. 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. The good news is it paid out just 20% of its free cash flow in the last year.

It's positive to see that Hoftex Group'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 Hoftex Group paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. That's why it's comforting to see Hoftex Group's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 109% per annum for the past five years.

Hoftex Group looks like a real growth company, with earnings per share growing at a cracking pace and the company reinvesting most of its profits in the business.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Hoftex Group has delivered 8.9% dividend growth per year on average over the past 6 years. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.

To Sum It Up

Is Hoftex Group an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Hoftex Group has grown its earnings per share while simultaneously reinvesting in the business. Unfortunately it's cut the dividend at least once in the past six years, but the conservative payout ratio makes the current dividend look sustainable. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.

Want to learn more about Hoftex Group's dividend performance? Check out this visualisation of its historical revenue and earnings growth.

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.

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.