Is It Worth Considering Croda International Plc (LON:CRDA) For Its Upcoming Dividend?
Croda International Plc (LON:CRDA) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days time. You will need to purchase shares before the 22nd of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 2nd of October.
Croda International's next dividend payment will be UK£0.40 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of UK£0.89 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Croda International has a trailing yield of 1.9% on the current share price of £46.8. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
See our latest analysis for Croda International
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fortunately Croda International's payout ratio is modest, at just 49% of profit. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Dividends consumed 62% of the company's free cash flow last year, which is within a normal range for most dividend-paying organisations.
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 with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Croda International earnings per share are up 5.7% per annum over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests Croda International has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. Therefore it's unlikely that the company will be able to reinvest heavily in its business, which could presage slower growth in the future.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Croda International has delivered 15% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 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
Should investors buy Croda International for the upcoming dividend? Earnings per share have been growing at a steady rate, and Croda International paid out less than half its profits and more than half its free cash flow as dividends over the last year. To summarise, Croda International looks okay on this analysis, although it doesn't appear a stand-out opportunity.
Wondering what the future holds for Croda International? See what the 16 analysts we track 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.
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.
