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Income Investors Should Know That Kellogg Company (NYSE:K) Goes Ex-Dividend Soon

Kellogg Company (NYSE:K) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in four days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Accordingly, Kellogg investors that purchase the stock on or after the 30th of November will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of December.

The company's upcoming dividend is US$0.59 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$2.36 per share to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Kellogg has a trailing yield of 3.3% on the current share price of $72.51. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

Check out our latest analysis for Kellogg

Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Kellogg paid out 53% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Over the last year it paid out 64% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.

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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.

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historic-dividend

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. Fortunately for readers, Kellogg's earnings per share have been growing at 17% a year for the past five years. Kellogg has an average payout ratio which suggests a balance between growing earnings and rewarding shareholders. Given the quick rate of earnings per share growth and current level of payout, there may be a chance of further dividend increases in the future.

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, Kellogg has lifted its dividend by approximately 3.2% a year on average. Earnings per share have been growing much quicker than dividends, potentially because Kellogg is keeping back more of its profits to grow the business.

To Sum It Up

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Kellogg? Higher earnings per share generally lead to higher dividends from dividend-paying stocks over the long run. However, we'd also note that Kellogg is paying out more than half of its earnings and cash flow as profits, which could limit the dividend growth if earnings growth slows. In summary, while it has some positive characteristics, we're not inclined to race out and buy Kellogg today.

In light of that, while Kellogg has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. For example, we've found 2 warning signs for Kellogg that we recommend you consider before investing in the business.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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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