Yahoo Finance Is It Worth Considering KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA (ETR:KWS) For Its Upcoming Dividend?
KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA (ETR:KWS) is about to trade 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 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. Meaning, you will need to purchase KWS SAAT SE KGaA's shares before the 7th of December to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 9th of December.
The company's upcoming dividend is €0.80 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of €0.80 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, KWS SAAT SE KGaA stock has a trailing yield of around 1.2% on the current share price of €66.5. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether KWS SAAT SE KGaA's dividend is reliable and sustainable. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
See our latest analysis for KWS SAAT SE KGaA
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. That's why it's good to see KWS SAAT SE KGaA paying out a modest 25% of its earnings. 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. Over the last year it paid out 66% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.
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 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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's not encouraging to see that KWS SAAT SE KGaA's earnings are effectively flat over the past five years. Better than seeing them fall off a cliff, for sure, but the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run. Earnings growth has been slim and the company is paying out more than half of its earnings. While there is some room to both increase the payout ratio and reinvest in the business, generally the higher a payout ratio goes, the lower a company's prospects for future growth.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. KWS SAAT SE KGaA has delivered an average of 3.6% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments.
The Bottom Line
Should investors buy KWS SAAT SE KGaA for the upcoming dividend? KWS SAAT SE KGaA has struggled to grow earnings per share, and it's paying out less than half of its earnings and more than half its cash flow to shareholders as dividends. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about KWS SAAT SE KGaA from a dividend perspective.
With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for KWS SAAT SE KGaA you should know about.
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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