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Be Sure To Check Out Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend

Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 2 days time. You can purchase shares before the 31st of March in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 15th of April.

Lennox International's next dividend payment will be US$0.77 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$3.08 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Lennox International stock has a trailing yield of around 1.7% on the current share price of $185.3. 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.

See our latest analysis for Lennox International

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Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Fortunately Lennox International's payout ratio is modest, at just 28% of profit. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Lennox International generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 38% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

It's positive to see that Lennox 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.

NYSE:LII Historical Dividend Yield March 28th 2020
NYSE:LII Historical Dividend Yield March 28th 2020

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. For this reason, we're glad to see Lennox International's earnings per share have risen 19% per annum over the last five years. Earnings per share are growing rapidly and the company is keeping more than half of its earnings within the business; an attractive combination which could suggest the company is focused on reinvesting to grow earnings further. Fast-growing businesses that are reinvesting heavily are enticing from a dividend perspective, especially since they can often increase the payout ratio later.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Lennox International has delivered 19% dividend growth per year on average over the past ten years. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.

Final Takeaway

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Lennox International? We love that Lennox International is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. Lennox International looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.

So while Lennox International looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Lennox International you should be aware of.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

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.

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. Thank you for reading.