Yahoo Finance There's A Lot To Like About Invitation Homes Inc.'s (NYSE:INVH) Upcoming 0.5% Dividend
It looks like Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 14th of August will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of August.
Invitation Homes's upcoming dividend is US$0.13 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.52 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Invitation Homes has a trailing yield of approximately 1.9% on its current stock price of $27.85. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. As a result, readers should always check whether Invitation Homes has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
View our latest analysis for Invitation Homes
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fortunately Invitation Homes's payout ratio is modest, at just 46% of profit. While Invitation Homes seems to be paying out a very high percentage of its income, REITs have different dividend payment behaviour and so, while we don't think this is great, we also don't think it is unusual. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. Fortunately, it paid out only 40% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's positive to see that Invitation Homes'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?
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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. Earnings per share have been growing very quickly, and the company is paying out a relatively low percentage of its profit and cash flow. Companies with growing earnings and low payout ratios are often the best long-term dividend stocks, as the company can both grow its earnings and increase the percentage of earnings that it pays out, essentially multiplying the dividend.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Invitation Homes has delivered an average of 47% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 2 years of dividend payments. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Invitation Homes? Invitation Homes 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 Invitation Homes, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.
Ever wonder what the future holds for Invitation Homes? See what the 16 analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow
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.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
