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Why You Might Be Interested In General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) For Its Upcoming Dividend

General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days time. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 8th of April will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 8th of May.

General Dynamics's next dividend payment will be US$1.10 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$4.08 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, General Dynamics stock has a trailing yield of around 3.5% on the current share price of $125.68. 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 check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

Check out our latest analysis for General Dynamics

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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. General Dynamics paid out a comfortable 34% of its profit last year. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. It paid out more than half (59%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.

It's positive to see that General Dynamics'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:GD Historical Dividend Yield April 4th 2020
NYSE:GD Historical Dividend Yield April 4th 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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at General Dynamics, with earnings per share up 8.7% on average over the last five years. While earnings have been growing at a credible rate, the company is paying out a majority of its earnings to shareholders. Therefore it's unlikely that the company will be able to reinvest heavily in its business, which could presage slower growth in the future.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. General Dynamics has delivered 11% dividend growth per year on average over the past ten years. 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.

Final Takeaway

Has General Dynamics got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Earnings per share growth has been modest, and it's interesting that General Dynamics is paying out less than half of its earnings and more than half its cash flow to shareholders in the form of dividends. 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.

In light of that, while General Dynamics has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. To help with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs for General Dynamics that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.

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.

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.