Yahoo Finance Why You Might Be Interested In Nutrien Ltd. (TSE:NTR) For Its Upcoming 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 Nutrien Ltd. (TSE:NTR) is about to go ex-dividend in just four days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Therefore, if you purchase Nutrien's shares on or after the 28th of September, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 13th of October.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.53 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$2.12 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Nutrien stock has a trailing yield of around 3.4% on the current share price of CA$83.59. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
Check out our latest analysis for Nutrien
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. Nutrien paid out a comfortable 28% of its profit last year. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Nutrien generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. The good news is it paid out just 24% of its free cash flow in the last year.
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?
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. That's why it's comforting to see Nutrien's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 110% per annum for the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing very quickly, and the company is paying out a relatively low percentage of its profit and cash flow. This is a very favourable combination that can often lead to the dividend multiplying over the long term, if earnings grow and the company pays out a higher percentage of its earnings.
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, six years ago, Nutrien has lifted its dividend by approximately 4.8% a year on average. Earnings per share have been growing much quicker than dividends, potentially because Nutrien is keeping back more of its profits to grow the business.
Final Takeaway
Should investors buy Nutrien for the upcoming dividend? We love that Nutrien 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. Nutrien looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.
So while Nutrien looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. For example, we've found 4 warning signs for Nutrien (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that deserve your attention before investing in the shares.
If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top 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.
