Should You Buy NRW Holdings Limited (ASX:NWH) For Its Upcoming Dividend?

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see NRW Holdings Limited (ASX:NWH) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 22nd of March will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 8th of April.

NRW Holdings's next dividend payment will be AU$0.04 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of AU$0.08 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that NRW Holdings has a trailing yield of 3.8% on the current share price of A$2.1. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

Check out our latest analysis for NRW Holdings

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. NRW Holdings paid out a comfortable 49% 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. It paid out 19% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.

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?

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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. That's why it's comforting to see NRW Holdings's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 39% per annum for the past five years. NRW Holdings is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow, while simultaneously growing earnings per share at a rapid clip. This is a very favourable combination that can often lead to the dividend multiplying over the long term, if earnings grow and the company pays out a higher percentage of its earnings.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last 10 years, NRW Holdings has lifted its dividend by approximately 2.9% a year on average. Earnings per share have been growing much quicker than dividends, potentially because NRW Holdings is keeping back more of its profits to grow the business.

Final Takeaway

Has NRW Holdings got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? It's great that NRW Holdings is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's disappointing to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past, but as things stand now, the low payout ratio suggests a conservative approach to dividends, which we like. There's a lot to like about NRW Holdings, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.

While it's tempting to invest in NRW Holdings for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. Our analysis shows 3 warning signs for NRW Holdings and you should be aware of them before buying any shares.

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.

If you’re looking to trade NRW Holdings, open an account with the lowest-cost* platform trusted by professionals, Interactive Brokers. Their clients from over 200 countries and territories trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds worldwide from a single integrated account. Promoted

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.
^*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.