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Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE)'s Could Be A Buy For Its Upcoming Dividend

Readers hoping to buy Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. Investors can purchase shares before the 26th of September in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 8th of November.

Nucor's next dividend payment will be US$0.4 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$1.6 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Nucor has a trailing yield of 3.0% on the current share price of $52.62. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Nucor's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to investigate whether Nucor can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

Check out our latest analysis for Nucor

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. Nucor paid out just 22% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. 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.

NYSE:NUE Historical Dividend Yield, September 22nd 2019
NYSE:NUE Historical Dividend Yield, September 22nd 2019

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 Nucor has grown its earnings rapidly, up 36% a year for the past five years. Nucor is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow, while simultaneously growing earnings per share at a rapid clip. Companies with growing earnings and low payout ratios are often the best long-term dividend stocks, as the company can both grow its earnings and increase the percentage of earnings that it pays out, essentially multiplying the dividend.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Nucor's dividend payments per share have declined at 2.2% per year on average over the past ten years, which is uninspiring. It's unusual to see earnings per share increasing at the same time as dividends per share have been in decline. We'd hope it's because the company is reinvesting heavily in its business, but it could also suggest business is lumpy.

To Sum It Up

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Nucor? It's great that Nucor 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. Nucor looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.

Wondering what the future holds for Nucor? See what the 12 analysts we track 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.

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.

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. Thank you for reading.

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