Yahoo Finance Myers Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MYE) Passed Our Checks, And It's About To Pay A US$0.135 Dividend
Myers Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MYE) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. This means that investors who purchase Myers Industries' shares on or after the 18th of June will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 5th of July.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.135 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.54 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Myers Industries has a trailing yield of 3.5% on the current stock price of US$15.29. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether Myers Industries can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Check out our latest analysis for Myers Industries
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Myers Industries paid out more than half (50%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Myers Industries generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Fortunately, it paid out only 33% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's positive to see that Myers Industries's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.
Click here to see how much of its profit Myers Industries paid out over the last 12 months.
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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's encouraging to see Myers Industries has grown its earnings rapidly, up 23% 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.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Myers Industries has delivered an average of 4.1% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. It's good to see both earnings and the dividend have improved - although the former has been rising much quicker than the latter, possibly due to the company reinvesting more of its profits in growth.
The Bottom Line
Is Myers Industries worth buying for its dividend? Myers Industries'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.
On that note, you'll want to research what risks Myers Industries is facing. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Myers Industries you should be aware of.
If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks.
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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.
