Yahoo Finance Is It Smart To Buy Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend?
Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) is about to go ex-dividend in just 2 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Accordingly, Peabody Energy investors that purchase the stock on or after the 9th of August will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of August.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.075 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.30 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Peabody Energy stock has a trailing yield of around 1.4% on the current share price of $21.81. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. As a result, readers should always check whether Peabody Energy has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
See our latest analysis for Peabody Energy
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Peabody Energy has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 0.7% of its income after tax. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It paid out 0.7% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.
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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's encouraging to see Peabody Energy has grown its earnings rapidly, up 33% a year for the past five years. Peabody Energy earnings per share have been sprinting ahead like the Road Runner at a track and field day; scarcely stopping even for a cheeky "beep-beep". We also like that it is reinvesting most of its profits in its business.'
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Peabody Energy has seen its dividend decline 8.2% per annum on average over the past five years, which is not great to see. Peabody Energy is a rare case where dividends have been decreasing at the same time as earnings per share have been improving. It's unusual to see, and could point to unstable conditions in the core business, or more rarely an intensified focus on reinvesting profits.
The Bottom Line
Has Peabody Energy got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? It's great that Peabody Energy is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's disappointing to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past, but as things stand now, the low payout ratio suggests a conservative approach to dividends, which we like. Peabody Energy looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.
While it's tempting to invest in Peabody Energy for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. To help with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Peabody Energy that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.
A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield 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.
