Yahoo Finance Is It Smart To Buy Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE:DIN) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend?
Readers hoping to buy Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE:DIN) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. 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 important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. In other words, investors can purchase Dine Brands Global's shares before the 17th of March in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 31st of March.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.51 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$2.04 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Dine Brands Global has a trailing yield of 3.0% on the current share price of $67.89. 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! So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.
See our latest analysis for Dine Brands Global
Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. That's why it's good to see Dine Brands Global paying out a modest 40% of its earnings. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Dine Brands Global generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It paid out more than half (57%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.
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?
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. It's encouraging to see Dine Brands Global has grown its earnings rapidly, up 41% a year for the past five years.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Dine Brands Global's dividend payments per share have declined at 3.8% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring. Dine Brands Global is a rare case where dividends have been decreasing at the same time as earnings per share have been improving. It's unusual to see, and could point to unstable conditions in the core business, or more rarely an intensified focus on reinvesting profits.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Dine Brands Global? From a dividend perspective, we're encouraged to see that earnings per share have been growing, the company is paying out less than half of its earnings, and a bit over half its free cash flow. Overall we think this is an attractive combination and worthy of further research.
On that note, you'll want to research what risks Dine Brands Global is facing. We've identified 2 warning signs with Dine Brands Global (at least 1 which doesn't sit too well with us), and understanding these should be part of your investment process.
A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield 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.
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