Advertisement
U.S. markets close in 2 hours 47 minutes
  • S&P 500

    5,250.47
    +1.98 (+0.04%)
     
  • Dow 30

    39,761.26
    +1.18 (+0.00%)
     
  • Nasdaq

    16,372.18
    -27.34 (-0.17%)
     
  • Russell 2000

    2,127.74
    +13.39 (+0.63%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.77
    +1.42 (+1.75%)
     
  • Gold

    2,242.70
    +30.00 (+1.36%)
     
  • Silver

    24.97
    +0.22 (+0.88%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0801
    -0.0028 (-0.26%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.1940
    -0.0020 (-0.05%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2631
    -0.0007 (-0.06%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    151.3450
    +0.0990 (+0.07%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    70,650.17
    +1,441.70 (+2.08%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     

Be Sure To Check Out Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 12th of February in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 27th of February.

Aramark's upcoming dividend is US$0.11 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.44 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Aramark has a trailing yield of approximately 1.1% on its current stock price of $41.39. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Aramark has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

View our latest analysis for Aramark

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 Aramark's payout ratio is modest, at just 32% 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. Fortunately, it paid out only 28% of its free cash flow in the past year.

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:ARMK Historical Dividend Yield, February 7th 2020
NYSE:ARMK Historical Dividend Yield, February 7th 2020

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. Fortunately for readers, Aramark's earnings per share have been growing at 16% a year for the past five years. The company has managed to grow earnings at a rapid rate, while reinvesting most of the profits within the business. Fast-growing businesses that are reinvesting heavily are enticing from a dividend perspective, especially since they can often increase the payout ratio later.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Aramark has delivered 6.6% dividend growth per year on average over the past six years. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

To Sum It Up

Is Aramark worth buying for its dividend? We love that Aramark is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. There's a lot to like about Aramark, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.

Curious what other investors think of Aramark? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow.

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.

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.

Advertisement