Codan Limited (ASX:CDA): Ex-Dividend Is In 3 Days

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Have you been keeping an eye on Codan Limited's (ASX:CDA) upcoming dividend of AU$0.065 per share payable on the 13 March 2019? Then you only have 3 days left before the stock starts trading ex-dividend on the 26 February 2019. Is this future income stream a compelling catalyst for dividend investors to think about the stock as an investment today? Let's take a look at Codan's most recent financial data to examine its dividend characteristics in more detail.

Check out our latest analysis for Codan

How I analyze a dividend stock

If you are a dividend investor, you should always assess these five key metrics:

• Is its annual yield among the top 25% of dividend-paying companies?
• Has it paid dividend every year without dramatically reducing payout in the past?
• Has dividend per share amount increased over the past?
• Is is able to pay the current rate of dividends from its earnings?
• Will it be able to continue to payout at the current rate in the future?

Does Codan pass our checks?

Codan has a trailing twelve-month payout ratio of 32%, which means that the dividend is covered by earnings. Going forward, analysts expect CDA's payout to increase to 56% of its earnings. Assuming a constant share price, this equates to a dividend yield of 4.5%. However, EPS is forecasted to fall to A$0.24 in the upcoming year. Therefore, although payout is expected to increase, the fall in earnings may not equate to higher dividend income.

When assessing the forecast sustainability of a dividend it is also worth considering the cash flow of the business. Cash flow is important because companies with strong cash flow can usually sustain higher payout ratios.

If there's one type of stock you want to be reliable, it's dividend stocks and their stable income-generating ability. Although CDA's per share payments have increased in the past 10 years, it has not been a completely smooth ride. Investors have seen reductions in the dividend per share in the past, although, it has picked up again.

In terms of its peers, Codan generates a yield of 4.2%, which is high for Electronic stocks but still below the market's top dividend payers.

Next Steps:

With this in mind, I definitely rank Codan as a strong dividend stock, and makes it worth further research for anyone who likes steady income generation from their portfolio. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, you should always research extensively before deciding whether or not a stock is an appropriate investment for you. I always recommend analysing the company's fundamentals and underlying business before making an investment decision. Below, I've compiled three relevant aspects you should further research:

1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for CDA’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for CDA’s outlook.
2. Valuation: What is CDA worth today? Even if the stock is a cash cow, it's not worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether CDA is currently mispriced by the market.
3. Other Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here.

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.