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 SKY Network Television Limited (NZSE:SKT) is about to go ex-dividend in just four days. The ex-dividend date generally occurs two days 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 because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. Thus, you can purchase SKY Network Television’s shares before the 6th of March in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 21st of March.
The company’s next dividend payment will be NZ$0.10 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of NZ$0.19 per share. Last year’s total dividend payments show that SKY Network Television has a trailing yield of 7.5% on the current share price of NZ$2.52. 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! We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it’s growing.
Check out our latest analysis for SKY Network Television
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. SKY Network Television distributed an unsustainably high 157% of its profit as dividends to shareholders last year. Without extenuating circumstances, we’d consider the dividend at risk of a cut. 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 more than half (55%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.
It’s good to see that while SKY Network Television’s dividends were not covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a cash perspective. If executives were to continue paying more in dividends than the company reported in profits, we’d view this as a warning sign. Extraordinarily few companies are capable of persistently paying a dividend that is greater than their profits.
Click here to see the company’s payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
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 earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. That’s why it’s comforting to see SKY Network Television’s earnings have been skyrocketing, up 90% per annum 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. SKY Network Television has seen its dividend decline 25% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see. It’s unusual to see earnings per share increasing at the same time as dividends per share have been in decline. We’d hope it’s because the company is reinvesting heavily in its business, but it could also suggest business is lumpy.
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid SKY Network Television? SKY Network Television has been growing its earnings per share nicely, although judging by the difference between its profit and cashflow payout ratios, the company might have reported some write-offs over the last year. Overall, it’s not a bad combination, but we feel that there are likely more attractive dividend prospects out there.
If you want to look further into SKY Network Television, it’s worth knowing the risks this business faces. Every company has risks, and we’ve spotted 2 warning signs for SKY Network Television you should know about.
If you’re in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.