Four Days Left Until Canadian Utilities Limited (TSE:CU) Trades Ex-Dividend
Readers hoping to buy Canadian Utilities Limited (TSE:CU) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Thus, you can purchase Canadian Utilities' shares before the 2nd of November in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 1st of December.
The company's upcoming dividend is CA$0.44 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of CA$1.78 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Canadian Utilities has a trailing yield of approximately 5.0% on its current stock price of CA$35.79. 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! So we need to investigate whether Canadian Utilities can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
View our latest analysis for Canadian Utilities
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Canadian Utilities paid out 69% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Over the last year it paid out 68% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.
It's positive to see that Canadian Utilities'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 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 decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Canadian Utilities's earnings per share have remained 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. 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.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Canadian Utilities has lifted its dividend by approximately 7.2% a year on average.
Final Takeaway
Is Canadian Utilities worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share have barely grown, and although Canadian Utilities paid out over half its earnings and free cash flow last year, the payout ratios are within a normal range for most companies. In summary, while it has some positive characteristics, we're not inclined to race out and buy Canadian Utilities today.
If you're not too concerned about Canadian Utilities's ability to pay dividends, you should still be mindful of some of the other risks that this business faces. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Canadian Utilities that we strongly recommend you have a look at before investing in the company.
If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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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