Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A Dividend
It looks like Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX) is about to go ex-dividend in the next four days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 5th of March will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 19th of March.
Tronox Holdings's upcoming dividend is US$0.08 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.32 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Tronox Holdings has a trailing yield of approximately 1.7% on its current stock price of $18.34. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
View our latest analysis for Tronox Holdings
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. Tronox Holdings paid out just 4.1% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. 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. What's good is that dividends were well covered by free cash flow, with the company paying out 25% of its cash flow last year.
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?
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. It's encouraging to see Tronox Holdings has grown its earnings rapidly, up 77% a year for the past five years. Tronox Holdings earnings per share have been sprinting ahead like the Road Runner at a track and field day; scarcely stopping even for a cheeky "beep-beep". We also like that it is reinvesting most of its profits in its business.'
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Tronox Holdings's dividend payments per share have declined at 12% per year on average over the past nine years, which is uninspiring. It's unusual to see earnings per share increasing at the same time as dividends per share have been in decline. We'd hope it's because the company is reinvesting heavily in its business, but it could also suggest business is lumpy.
Final Takeaway
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Tronox Holdings? Tronox Holdings has grown its earnings per share while simultaneously reinvesting in the business. Unfortunately it's cut the dividend at least once in the past nine years, but the conservative payout ratio makes the current dividend look sustainable. Tronox Holdings looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.
So while Tronox Holdings looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for Tronox Holdings (2 can't be ignored) you should be aware of.
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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
