Yahoo Finance Is It Smart To Buy British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend?
It looks like British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 17th of December in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 3rd of February.
British American Tobacco's next dividend payment will be UK£0.53 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed UK£2.10 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, British American Tobacco stock has a trailing yield of around 7.2% on the current share price of £29.17. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
View our latest analysis for British American Tobacco
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. British American Tobacco paid out 74% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether British American Tobacco generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Fortunately, it paid out only 49% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's positive to see that British American Tobacco'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?
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. Fortunately for readers, British American Tobacco's earnings per share have been growing at 11% a year for the past five years. British American Tobacco has an average payout ratio which suggests a balance between growing earnings and rewarding shareholders. Given the quick rate of earnings per share growth and current level of payout, there may be a chance of further dividend increases in the future.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, British American Tobacco has lifted its dividend by approximately 7.8% a year on average. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.
The Bottom Line
Has British American Tobacco got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? British American Tobacco'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.
So while British American Tobacco looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for British American Tobacco and you should be aware of them before buying any shares.
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.
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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