Yahoo Finance The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Passed Our Checks, And It's About To Pay A 1.2% Dividend
Readers hoping to buy The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. You will need to purchase shares before the 30th of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 17th of September.
Interpublic Group of Companies's next dividend payment will be US$0.23 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.94 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Interpublic Group of Companies has a trailing yield of 4.7% on the current stock price of $19.86. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend is reliable and sustainable. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
View our latest analysis for Interpublic Group of Companies
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. Interpublic Group of Companies 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. It distributed 30% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.
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.
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. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's encouraging to see Interpublic Group of Companies has grown its earnings rapidly, up 22% a year for the past five years. Management appears to be striking a nice balance between reinvesting for growth and paying dividends to shareholders. Earnings per share have been growing quickly and in combination with some reinvestment and a middling payout ratio, the stock may have decent dividend prospects going forwards.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 8 years, Interpublic Group of Companies has lifted its dividend by approximately 19% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.
To Sum It Up
Should investors buy Interpublic Group of Companies for the upcoming dividend? Interpublic Group of Companies's growing earnings per share and conservative payout ratios make for a decent combination. We also like that it paid out a lower percentage of its cash flow. Overall we think this is an attractive combination and worthy of further research.
Ever wonder what the future holds for Interpublic Group of Companies? See what the nine 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.
