Be Sure To Check Out Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. (NYSE:FBHS) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend
Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. (NYSE:FBHS) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days time. You will need to purchase shares before the 27th of February to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 18th of March.
Fortune Brands Home & Security's upcoming dividend is US$0.24 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.96 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Fortune Brands Home & Security has a trailing yield of 1.4% on the current stock price of $71.03. 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 investigate whether Fortune Brands Home & Security can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Check out our latest analysis for Fortune Brands Home & Security
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fortune Brands Home & Security paid out a comfortable 29% 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. It paid out 24% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.
It's positive to see that Fortune Brands Home & Security'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 the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
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. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. For this reason, we're glad to see Fortune Brands Home & Security's earnings per share have risen 13% 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.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Fortune Brands Home & Security has delivered 13% dividend growth per year on average over the past seven years. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.
The Bottom Line
Is Fortune Brands Home & Security an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Fortune Brands Home & Security has been growing earnings at a rapid rate, and has a conservatively low payout ratio, implying that it is reinvesting heavily in its business; a sterling combination. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.
Curious what other investors think of Fortune Brands Home & Security? 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.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
