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Income Investors Should Know That Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Goes Ex-Dividend Soon

It looks like Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 12th of September will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 27th of September.

Nasdaq's next dividend payment will be US$0.47 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.88 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Nasdaq has a trailing yield of 1.8% on the current stock price of $104.26. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. As a result, readers should always check whether Nasdaq has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Nasdaq

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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. Nasdaq paid out 55% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses.

Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

NasdaqGS:NDAQ Historical Dividend Yield, September 8th 2019
NasdaqGS:NDAQ Historical Dividend Yield, September 8th 2019

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 earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Nasdaq, with earnings per share up 7.3% on average over the last five years.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 7 years, Nasdaq has lifted its dividend by approximately 20% 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.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy Nasdaq for the upcoming dividend? Nasdaq has been generating some growth in earnings per share while paying out more than half of its earnings to shareholders in the form of dividends. We think there are likely better opportunities out there.

Wondering what the future holds for Nasdaq? See what the 13 analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow

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