Yahoo Finance Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) Passed Our Checks, And It's About To Pay A 0.5% Dividend
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. You will need to purchase shares before the 29th of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 11th of September.
Analog Devices's upcoming dividend is US$0.54 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$2.16 per share to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Analog Devices has a trailing yield of 2.1% on the current share price of $104.17. 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.
See our latest analysis for Analog Devices
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. Analog Devices is paying out an acceptable 53% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies. 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. Fortunately, it paid out only 38% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's positive to see that Analog Devices'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?
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. For this reason, we're glad to see Analog Devices's earnings per share have risen 13% per annum over the last five years. Analog Devices has an average payout ratio which suggests a balance between growing earnings and rewarding shareholders. This is a reasonable combination that could hint at some further dividend increases in the future.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Analog Devices has delivered an average of 10% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see.
Final Takeaway
Should investors buy Analog Devices for the upcoming dividend? Analog Devices'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. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.
Wondering what the future holds for Analog Devices? See what the 23 analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow
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.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
