NCC AB (publ) (STO:NCC B) Is About To Go Ex-Dividend, And It Pays A 2.0% Yield
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see NCC AB (publ) (STO:NCC B) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 2nd of April in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 8th of April.
NCC's next dividend payment will be kr2.50 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of kr2.50 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, NCC has a trailing yield of approximately 2.0% on its current stock price of SEK126.95. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether NCC can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
See our latest analysis for NCC
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. Fortunately NCC's payout ratio is modest, at just 31% of profit. 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. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 34% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.
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 shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. NCC's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 14% a year over the previous five years. When earnings per share fall, the maximum amount of dividends that can be paid also falls.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. NCC has seen its dividend decline 4.6% per annum on average over the past ten years, which is not great to see. It's never nice to see earnings and dividends falling, but at least management has cut the dividend rather than potentially risk the company's health in an attempt to maintain it.
Final Takeaway
Is NCC an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? NCC has comfortably low cash and profit payout ratios, which may mean the dividend is sustainable even in the face of a sharp decline in earnings per share. Still, we consider declining earnings to be a warning sign. In summary, it's hard to get excited about NCC from a dividend perspective.
While it's tempting to invest in NCC for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. For example - NCC has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.
If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top 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.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
