Yahoo Finance Read This Before Considering Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE:RHI) For Its Upcoming US$0.38 Dividend
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE:RHI) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 24th of February in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of March.
Robert Half International's next dividend payment will be US$0.38 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$1.52 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Robert Half International stock has a trailing yield of around 2.0% on the current share price of $76.89. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether Robert Half International can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Check out our latest analysis for Robert Half International
Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Robert Half International is paying out an acceptable 50% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies. 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. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 28% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.
It's positive to see that Robert Half International'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 the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's not encouraging to see that Robert Half International's earnings are effectively flat over the past five years. It's better than seeing them drop, certainly, but over the long term, all of the best dividend stocks are able to meaningfully grow their earnings per share. Earnings per share growth has been slim, and the company is already paying out a majority of its earnings. While there is some room to both increase the payout ratio and reinvest in the business, generally the higher a payout ratio goes, the lower a company's prospects for future growth.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Robert Half International has delivered an average of 11% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments.
To Sum It Up
Is Robert Half International an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? It's unfortunate that earnings per share have not grown, and we'd note that Robert Half International is paying out lower percentage of its cashflow than its profit, but overall the dividend looks well covered by earnings. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects.
Curious what other investors think of Robert Half International? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow.
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.
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