Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPWR) Goes Ex-Dividend In 3 Days
It looks like Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPWR) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 30th of March will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of April.
Monolithic Power Systems's next dividend payment will be US$0.50 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$1.60 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Monolithic Power Systems has a trailing yield of approximately 1.3% on its current stock price of $158.31. 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 Monolithic Power Systems has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
View our latest analysis for Monolithic Power Systems
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Monolithic Power Systems paid out 63% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. 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. Dividends consumed 56% of the company's free cash flow last year, which is within a normal range for most dividend-paying organisations.
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?
Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That's why it's comforting to see Monolithic Power Systems's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 22% per annum for the past five years. The current payout ratio suggests a good balance between rewarding shareholders with dividends, and reinvesting in growth. Earnings per share have been growing quickly and in combination with some reinvestment and a middling payout ratio, the stock may have decent dividend prospects going forwards.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last six years, Monolithic Power Systems has lifted its dividend by approximately 22% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.
The Bottom Line
Should investors buy Monolithic Power Systems for the upcoming dividend? Higher earnings per share generally lead to higher dividends from dividend-paying stocks over the long run. However, we'd also note that Monolithic Power Systems is paying out more than half of its earnings and cash flow as profits, which could limit the dividend growth if earnings growth slows. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about Monolithic Power Systems from a dividend perspective.
So while Monolithic Power Systems looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Our analysis shows 1 warning sign for Monolithic Power Systems and you should be aware of this before buying any shares.
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.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.
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