Yahoo Finance Domino's Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) Looks Like A Good Stock, And It's Going Ex-Dividend Soon
Readers hoping to buy Domino's Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. This means that investors who purchase Domino's Pizza's shares on or after the 14th of June will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of June.
The company's upcoming dividend is US$0.94 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$3.76 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Domino's Pizza has a trailing yield of 0.8% on the current stock price of $443.36. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
Check out our latest analysis for Domino's Pizza
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fortunately Domino's Pizza's payout ratio is modest, at just 26% of profit. 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 22% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.
It's positive to see that Domino's Pizza'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?
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. It's encouraging to see Domino's Pizza has grown its earnings rapidly, up 28% a year 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. In the past eight years, Domino's Pizza has increased its dividend at approximately 21% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.
The Bottom Line
Should investors buy Domino's Pizza for the upcoming dividend? Domino's Pizza has been growing earnings at a rapid rate, and has a conservatively low payout ratio, implying that it is reinvesting heavily in its business; a sterling combination. There's a lot to like about Domino's Pizza, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.
While it's tempting to invest in Domino's Pizza for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. Be aware that Domino's Pizza is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 2 of those don't sit too well with us...
If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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. 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.
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