FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF) Looks Like A Good Stock, And It's Going Ex-Dividend Soon
It looks like FutureFuel Corp. (NYSE:FF) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 30th of November, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 15th of December.
FutureFuel's next dividend payment will be US$0.06 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.24 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that FutureFuel has a trailing yield of 2.0% on the current share price of $12.16. 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! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
View our latest analysis for FutureFuel
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. FutureFuel has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 9.3% of its income after tax. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. What's good is that dividends were well covered by free cash flow, with the company paying out 13% of its cash flow last year.
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 how much of its profit FutureFuel paid out over the last 12 months.
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. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. Fortunately for readers, FutureFuel's earnings per share have been growing at 16% a year for the past five years. The company has managed to grow earnings at a rapid rate, while reinvesting most of the profits within the business. Fast-growing businesses that are reinvesting heavily are enticing from a dividend perspective, especially since they can often increase the payout ratio later.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. FutureFuel's dividend payments per share have declined at 2.2% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring. FutureFuel is a rare case where dividends have been decreasing at the same time as earnings per share have been improving. It's unusual to see, and could point to unstable conditions in the core business, or more rarely an intensified focus on reinvesting profits.
To Sum It Up
Has FutureFuel got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? It's great that FutureFuel is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's disappointing to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past, but as things stand now, the low payout ratio suggests a conservative approach to dividends, which we like. FutureFuel looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.
In light of that, while FutureFuel has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. We've identified 2 warning signs with FutureFuel (at least 1 which is potentially serious), and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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