Yahoo Finance Income Investors Should Know That Lassonde Industries Inc. (TSE:LAS.A) Goes Ex-Dividend Soon
Lassonde Industries Inc. (TSE:LAS.A) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase Lassonde Industries' shares before the 25th of May to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of June.
The company's next dividend payment will be CA$0.70 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of CA$3.52 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Lassonde Industries has a trailing yield of 2.9% on the current share price of CA$122.82. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Lassonde Industries has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
Check out our latest analysis for Lassonde Industries
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. That's why it's good to see Lassonde Industries paying out a modest 34% of its earnings. 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. Dividends consumed 70% of the company's free cash flow last year, which is within a normal range for most dividend-paying organisations.
It's positive to see that Lassonde Industries'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 that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's not encouraging to see that Lassonde Industries's earnings are effectively flat over the past five years. Better than seeing them fall off a cliff, for sure, but the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run. Earnings growth has been slim and the company is paying out more than half of its earnings. While there is some room to both increase the payout ratio and reinvest in the business, generally the higher a payout ratio goes, the lower a company's prospects for future growth.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the past 10 years, Lassonde Industries has increased its dividend at approximately 11% a year on average.
Final Takeaway
Is Lassonde Industries an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share have been flat over the 10-year timeframe we consider, and Lassonde Industries paid out less than half its earnings and more than half its free cashflow over the last year. Overall, it's not a bad combination, but we feel that there are likely more attractive dividend prospects out there.
So while Lassonde Industries looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Lassonde Industries you should know about.
Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.
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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.
