Yahoo Finance Be Sure To Check Out Intermediate Capital Group plc (LON:ICP) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend
It looks like Intermediate Capital Group plc (LON:ICP) is about to go ex-dividend in the next three days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the 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. Meaning, you will need to purchase Intermediate Capital Group's shares before the 8th of December to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 9th of January.
The company's next dividend payment will be UK£0.25 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of UK£0.83 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Intermediate Capital Group has a trailing yield of approximately 6.6% on its current stock price of £12.43. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether Intermediate Capital Group can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
See our latest analysis for Intermediate Capital Group
Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Intermediate Capital Group paid out more than half (74%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies.
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?
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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. This is why it's a relief to see Intermediate Capital Group earnings per share are up 8.7% per annum over the last five years.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Intermediate Capital Group has delivered an average of 13% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. 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.
Final Takeaway
Is Intermediate Capital Group an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share have been growing at a reasonable rate, and the company is paying out a bit over half its earnings as dividends. We think there are likely better opportunities out there.
If you're not too concerned about Intermediate Capital Group's ability to pay dividends, you should still be mindful of some of the other risks that this business faces. Be aware that Intermediate Capital Group is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit unpleasant...
A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield dividend stocks.
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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.
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