Yahoo Finance Pulse Seismic Inc. (TSE:PSD) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A 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 Pulse Seismic Inc. (TSE:PSD) is about to go ex-dividend in just three 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. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Thus, you can purchase Pulse Seismic's shares before the 13th of May in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 24th of May.
The company's next dividend payment will be CA$0.013 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed CA$0.05 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Pulse Seismic has a trailing yield of 2.2% on the current stock price of CA$2.26. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Pulse Seismic's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to investigate whether Pulse Seismic can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Check out our latest analysis for Pulse Seismic
Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Pulse Seismic is paying out just 7.1% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. It paid out 12% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.
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 how much of its profit Pulse Seismic paid out over the last 12 months.
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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. For this reason, we're glad to see Pulse Seismic's earnings per share have risen 10% per annum over the last five years. Earnings per share have been growing rapidly and the company is retaining a majority of its earnings within the business. Fast-growing businesses that are reinvesting heavily are enticing from a dividend perspective, especially since they can often increase the payout ratio later.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Pulse Seismic's dividend payments are effectively flat on where they were 10 years ago.
To Sum It Up
Is Pulse Seismic an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Pulse Seismic has grown its earnings per share while simultaneously reinvesting in the business. Unfortunately it's cut the dividend at least once in the past 10 years, but the conservative payout ratio makes the current dividend look sustainable. Overall we think this is an attractive combination and worthy of further research.
With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. For example - Pulse Seismic has 3 warning signs we think you should be aware of.
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.
