Yahoo Finance Four Days Left To Buy Northern Star Resources Limited (ASX:NST) Before The Ex-Dividend Date
Northern Star Resources Limited (ASX:NST) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in four days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. Thus, you can purchase Northern Star Resources' shares before the 5th of September in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 12th of October.
The company's next dividend payment will be AU$0.15 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of AU$0.27 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Northern Star Resources stock has a trailing yield of around 2.2% on the current share price of A$11.91. 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! We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
See our latest analysis for Northern Star Resources
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Northern Star Resources paid out more than half (52%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Northern Star Resources generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It paid out 87% of its free cash flow as dividends, which is within usual limits but will limit the company's ability to lift the dividend if there's no growth.
It's positive to see that Northern Star Resources'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?
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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. This is why it's a relief to see Northern Star Resources earnings per share are up 9.6% per annum over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests Northern Star Resources has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. If management lifts the payout ratio further, we'd take this as a tacit signal that the company's growth prospects are slowing.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, Northern Star Resources has lifted its dividend by approximately 29% a year on average. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Northern Star Resources? Earnings per share growth has been unremarkable, and while the company is paying out a majority of its earnings and cash flow in the form of dividends, the dividend payments don't appear excessive. In summary, it's hard to get excited about Northern Star Resources from a dividend perspective.
Ever wonder what the future holds for Northern Star Resources? See what the 15 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.
