Yahoo Finance There's A Lot To Like About Hargreaves Lansdown's (LON:HL.) Upcoming UK£0.39 Dividend
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Hargreaves Lansdown plc (LON:HL.) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. 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. This means that investors who purchase Hargreaves Lansdown's shares on or after the 23rd of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 20th of October.
The company's next dividend payment will be UK£0.39 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of UK£0.51 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Hargreaves Lansdown stock has a trailing yield of around 3.5% on the current share price of £14.245. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether Hargreaves Lansdown can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Check out our latest analysis for Hargreaves Lansdown
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. Hargreaves Lansdown paid out more than half (61%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies.
Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Fortunately for readers, Hargreaves Lansdown's earnings per share have been growing at 11% a year for the past five years.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the past 10 years, Hargreaves Lansdown has increased its dividend at approximately 16% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.
To Sum It Up
Is Hargreaves Lansdown worth buying for its dividend? Hargreaves Lansdown has an acceptable payout ratio and its earnings per share have been improving at a decent rate. We think this is a pretty attractive combination, and would be interested in investigating Hargreaves Lansdown more closely.
So while Hargreaves Lansdown looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Hargreaves Lansdown (including 1 which is a bit concerning).
We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
