There's A Lot To Like About Hawkins' (NASDAQ:HWKN) Upcoming US$0.23 Dividend
Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 13th of August, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 28th of August.
Hawkins's next dividend payment will be US$0.23 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.93 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Hawkins has a trailing yield of 1.7% on the current share price of $53.22. 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! As a result, readers should always check whether Hawkins has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
View our latest analysis for Hawkins
Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. That's why it's good to see Hawkins paying out a modest 32% of its earnings. 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. Fortunately, it paid out only 33% 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 how much of its profit Hawkins paid out over the last 12 months.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Hawkins, with earnings per share up 9.6% on average over the last five years. Management have been reinvested more than half of the company's earnings within the business, and the company has been able to grow earnings with this retained capital. Organisations that reinvest heavily in themselves typically get stronger over time, which can bring attractive benefits such as stronger earnings and dividends.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Hawkins has lifted its dividend by approximately 5.2% 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.
To Sum It Up
Is Hawkins worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share growth has been growing somewhat, and Hawkins is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow as dividends. This is interesting for a few reasons, as it suggests management may be reinvesting heavily in the business, but it also provides room to increase the dividend in time. We would prefer to see earnings growing faster, but the best dividend stocks over the long term typically combine significant earnings per share growth with a low payout ratio, and Hawkins is halfway there. There's a lot to like about Hawkins, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.
While it's tempting to invest in Hawkins for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Hawkins you should know about.
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.
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