Yahoo Finance Interested In Origin Energy's (ASX:ORG) Upcoming AU$0.13 Dividend? You Have Four Days Left
Readers hoping to buy Origin Energy Limited (ASX:ORG) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 3rd of March will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 26th of March.
Origin Energy's next dividend payment will be AU$0.13 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of AU$0.23 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Origin Energy has a trailing yield of approximately 5.0% on its current stock price of A$4.5. 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 Origin Energy has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
See our latest analysis for Origin Energy
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. Origin Energy's dividend is not well covered by earnings, as the company lost money last year. This is not a sustainable state of affairs, so it would be worth investigating if earnings are expected to recover. With the recent loss, it's important to check if the business generated enough cash to pay its dividend. If Origin Energy didn't generate enough cash to pay the dividend, then it must have either paid from cash in the bank or by borrowing money, neither of which is sustainable in the long term. Fortunately, it paid out only 38% of its free cash flow in the past year.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Origin Energy reported a loss last year, but at least the general trend suggests its income has been improving over the past five years. Even so, an unprofitable company whose business does not quickly recover is usually not a good candidate for dividend investors.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Origin Energy's dividend payments per share have declined at 7.7% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring.
Get our latest analysis on Origin Energy's balance sheet health here.
The Bottom Line
Is Origin Energy an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? First, it's not great to see the company paying a dividend despite being loss-making over the last year. On the plus side, the dividend was covered by free cash flow." All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about Origin Energy from a dividend perspective.
So while Origin Energy looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Origin Energy you should be aware of.
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.
