It looks like UFP Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPI) is about to go ex-dividend in the next four days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 31st of August will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of September.
UFP Industries’s next dividend payment will be US$0.13 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.50 to shareholders. Based on the last year’s worth of payments, UFP Industries has a trailing yield of 0.8% on the current stock price of $61.01. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether UFP Industries’s dividend is reliable and sustainable. That’s why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
View our latest analysis for UFP Industries
Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. UFP Industries has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 14% of its income after tax. 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. Luckily it paid out just 8.2% of its free cash flow last year.
It’s positive to see that UFP Industries’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?
Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it’s easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. It’s encouraging to see UFP Industries has grown its earnings rapidly, up 27% a year for the past five years. UFP Industries earnings per share have been sprinting ahead like the Road Runner at a track and field day; scarcely stopping even for a cheeky “beep-beep”. We also like that it is reinvesting most of its profits in its business.’
Many investors will assess a company’s dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, UFP Industries has lifted its dividend by approximately 29% a year on average. It’s exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.
Final Takeaway
Has UFP Industries got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? We love that UFP Industries is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. It’s a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.
While it’s tempting to invest in UFP Industries for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for UFP Industries and you should be aware of these before buying any shares.
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.
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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. 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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