AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A Dividend

It looks like AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 28th of January in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 19th of February.

AptarGroup's upcoming dividend is US$0.36 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$1.44 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, AptarGroup has a trailing yield of approximately 1.2% on its current stock price of $117.37. 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! As a result, readers should always check whether AptarGroup has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for AptarGroup

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. AptarGroup paid out a comfortable 38% of its profit last year. 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. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 39% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

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?

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. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at AptarGroup, with earnings per share up 7.3% on average over the last five years. Management have been reinvested more than half of the company's earnings within the business, and the company has been able to grow earnings with this retained capital. Organisations that reinvest heavily in themselves typically get stronger over time, which can bring attractive benefits such as stronger earnings and dividends.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the past ten years, AptarGroup has increased its dividend at approximately 9.1% a year on average. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

The Bottom Line

Should investors buy AptarGroup for the upcoming dividend? Earnings per share have been growing moderately, and AptarGroup is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow as dividends, which is an attractive combination as it suggests the company is investing in growth. We would prefer to see earnings growing faster, but the best dividend stocks over the long term typically combine significant earnings per share growth with a low payout ratio, and AptarGroup is halfway there. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.

Wondering what the future holds for AptarGroup? See what the 11 analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow

A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

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.

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