RPM International Inc. (NYSE:RPM) Pays A US$0.36 Dividend In Just Four Days
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see RPM International Inc. (NYSE:RPM) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 15th of July, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 31st of July.
RPM International's next dividend payment will be US$0.36 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$1.44 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, RPM International stock has a trailing yield of around 1.9% on the current share price of $74.53. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether RPM International's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.
View our latest analysis for RPM International
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. RPM International paid out more than half (56%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether RPM International generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Fortunately, it paid out only 50% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's positive to see that RPM International's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.
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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. This is why it's a relief to see RPM International earnings per share are up 2.9% per annum over the last five years. Earnings per share growth has been slim, and the company is already paying out a majority of its earnings. While there is some room to both increase the payout ratio and reinvest in the business, generally the higher a payout ratio goes, the lower a company's prospects for future growth.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the last ten years, RPM International has lifted its dividend by approximately 5.8% a year on average. 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
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid RPM International? While earnings per share growth has been modest, RPM International's dividend payouts are around an average level; without a sharp change in earnings we feel that the dividend is likely somewhat sustainable. Pleasingly the company paid out a conservatively low percentage of its free cash flow. Overall, it's hard to get excited about RPM International from a dividend perspective.
In light of that, while RPM International has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for RPM International you should be aware of.
We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting 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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