Yahoo Finance Should You Buy Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ:JKHY) For Its Upcoming Dividend?
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 Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ:JKHY) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. In other words, investors can purchase Jack Henry & Associates' shares before the 7th of September in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 28th of September.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.52 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$2.08 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Jack Henry & Associates has a trailing yield of approximately 1.3% on its current stock price of $158.08. 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.
Check out our latest analysis for Jack Henry & Associates
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. Fortunately Jack Henry & Associates's payout ratio is modest, at just 40% of profit.
Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's not encouraging to see that Jack Henry & Associates's earnings are effectively flat over the past five years. We'd take that over an earnings decline any day, but in the long run, the best dividend stocks all grow their earnings per share.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, Jack Henry & Associates has lifted its dividend by approximately 16% a year on average.
The Bottom Line
Should investors buy Jack Henry & Associates for the upcoming dividend? Jack Henry & Associates has seen its earnings per share stagnate in recent years, although the company reinvests more than half of its profits in the business, which could bode well for its future prospects. We think this is a pretty attractive combination, and would be interested in investigating Jack Henry & Associates more closely.
Ever wonder what the future holds for Jack Henry & Associates? See what the 16 analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow
Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.
