Lancaster Colony Corporation (NASDAQ:LANC) Pays A US$0.70 Dividend In Just Four Days
Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Lancaster Colony Corporation (NASDAQ:LANC) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 8th of September, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 30th of September.
Lancaster Colony's next dividend payment will be US$0.70 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$2.80 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Lancaster Colony stock has a trailing yield of around 1.6% on the current share price of $179.92. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Lancaster Colony's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether Lancaster Colony has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
View our latest analysis for Lancaster Colony
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Lancaster Colony paid out 55% 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. It paid out 86% of its free cash flow as dividends, which is within usual limits but will limit the company's ability to lift the dividend if there's no growth.
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?
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 fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Lancaster Colony earnings per share are up 6.0% per annum over the last five years. While earnings have been growing at a credible rate, the company is paying out a majority of its earnings to shareholders. Therefore it's unlikely that the company will be able to reinvest heavily in its business, which could presage slower growth in the future.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Lancaster Colony has delivered 8.8% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. 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.
The Bottom Line
Is Lancaster Colony worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share have been growing modestly and Lancaster Colony paid out a bit over half of its earnings and free cash flow last year. While it does have some good things going for it, we're a bit ambivalent and it would take more to convince us of Lancaster Colony's dividend merits.
Curious what other investors think of Lancaster Colony? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow.
A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising 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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