Advertisement
U.S. markets open in 6 hours 37 minutes
  • S&P Futures

    5,208.00
    -6.75 (-0.13%)
     
  • Dow Futures

    39,210.00
    -13.00 (-0.03%)
     
  • Nasdaq Futures

    18,185.50
    -46.00 (-0.25%)
     
  • Russell 2000 Futures

    2,046.80
    -3.00 (-0.15%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.48
    -0.24 (-0.29%)
     
  • Gold

    2,159.10
    -5.20 (-0.24%)
     
  • Silver

    25.11
    -0.15 (-0.59%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0868
    -0.0008 (-0.08%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.3400
    0.0000 (0.00%)
     
  • Vix

    14.33
    -0.08 (-0.56%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2707
    -0.0021 (-0.17%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    150.3890
    +1.2910 (+0.87%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    64,662.95
    -3,845.36 (-5.61%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,722.55
    -4.87 (-0.06%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,003.60
    +263.20 (+0.66%)
     

Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ:STX) Passed Our Checks, And It's About To Pay A 1.1% Dividend

Readers hoping to buy Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ:STX) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 24th of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 9th of October.

Seagate Technology's upcoming dividend is US$0.6 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$2.5 per share to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Seagate Technology has a trailing yield of 4.4% on the current share price of $56.75. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

See our latest analysis for Seagate Technology

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fortunately Seagate Technology's payout ratio is modest, at just 35% of profit. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. Dividends consumed 62% 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.

NasdaqGS:STX Historical Dividend Yield, September 19th 2019
NasdaqGS:STX Historical Dividend Yield, September 19th 2019

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. This is why it's a relief to see Seagate Technology earnings per share are up 8.9% per annum over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests Seagate Technology has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. If management lifts the payout ratio further, we'd take this as a tacit signal that the company's growth prospects are slowing.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the past ten years, Seagate Technology has increased its dividend at approximately 18% a year on average. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

The Bottom Line

Is Seagate Technology an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share have been growing at a steady rate, and Seagate Technology paid out less than half its profits and more than half its free cash flow as dividends over the 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 Seagate Technology's dividend merits.

Curious what other investors think of Seagate Technology? 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.

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.

Advertisement