SSE plc (LON:SSE) Goes Ex-Dividend Soon
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see SSE plc (LON:SSE) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 14th of January will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 11th of March.
SSE's next dividend payment will be UK£0.24 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed UK£0.80 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that SSE has a trailing yield of 5.0% on the current share price of £16.12. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to investigate whether SSE can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
View our latest analysis for SSE
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. It paid out 79% of its earnings as dividends last year, which is not unreasonable, but limits reinvestment in the business and leaves the dividend vulnerable to a business downturn. We'd be concerned if earnings began to decline. 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. SSE paid out more free cash flow than it generated - 163%, to be precise - last year, which we think is concerningly high. It's hard to consistently pay out more cash than you generate without either borrowing or using company cash, so we'd wonder how the company justifies this payout level.
SSE paid out less in dividends than it reported in profits, but unfortunately it didn't generate enough cash to cover the dividend. Were this to happen repeatedly, this would be a risk to SSE's ability to maintain its dividend.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. For this reason, we're glad to see SSE's earnings per share have risen 13% per annum over the last five years. Earnings have been growing at a decent rate, but we're concerned dividend payments consumed most of the company's cash flow over the past year.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, SSE has lifted its dividend by approximately 1.4% a year on average. It's good to see both earnings and the dividend have improved - although the former has been rising much quicker than the latter, possibly due to the company reinvesting more of its profits in growth.
To Sum It Up
Is SSE an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share growth is a positive, and the company's payout ratio looks normal. However, we note SSE paid out a much higher percentage of its free cash flow, which makes us uncomfortable. In summary, it's hard to get excited about SSE from a dividend perspective.
So if you want to do more digging on SSE, you'll find it worthwhile knowing the risks that this stock faces. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with SSE (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant).
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.
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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
