Here's Why We're Wary Of Buying Cogent Communications Holdings' (NASDAQ:CCOI) For Its Upcoming Dividend
Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CCOI) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order 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. In other words, investors can purchase Cogent Communications Holdings' shares before the 17th of August in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 31st of August.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.91 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$3.62 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Cogent Communications Holdings has a trailing yield of 6.0% on the current stock price of $60.27. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. As a result, readers should always check whether Cogent Communications Holdings has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
Check out our latest analysis for Cogent Communications Holdings
Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Last year, Cogent Communications Holdings paid out 356% of its profit to shareholders in the form of dividends. This is not sustainable behaviour and requires a closer look on behalf of the purchaser. 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. Cogent Communications Holdings paid out more free cash flow than it generated - 170%, to be precise - last year, which we think is concerningly high. We're curious about why the company paid out more cash than it generated last year, since this can be one of the early signs that a dividend may be unsustainable.
As Cogent Communications Holdings's dividend was not well covered by either earnings or cash flow, we would be concerned that this dividend could be at risk over the long term.
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. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. It's encouraging to see Cogent Communications Holdings has grown its earnings rapidly, up 23% a year for the past five years. Earnings per share are increasing at a rapid rate, but the company is paying out more than we think is sustainable, based on current earnings. Generally, when a company is paying out more than it earned as dividends, it could signal either that the company is spending heavily to fund its growth, or that earnings growth is likely to slow due to lack of reinvestment.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Cogent Communications Holdings has delivered an average of 25% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.
Final Takeaway
Should investors buy Cogent Communications Holdings for the upcoming dividend? While it's nice to see earnings per share growing, we're curious about how Cogent Communications Holdings intends to continue growing, or maintain the dividend in a downturn given that it's paying out such a high percentage of its earnings and cashflow. It's not the most attractive proposition from a dividend perspective, and we'd probably give this one a miss for now.
So if you're still interested in Cogent Communications Holdings despite it's poor dividend qualities, you should be well informed on some of the risks facing this stock. To help with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs for Cogent Communications Holdings (3 are a bit unpleasant!) that you ought to be aware of before buying the shares.
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.
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.
Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
