North American Construction Group Ltd. (TSE:NOA) Passed Our Checks, And It's About To Pay A CA$0.08 Dividend

Readers hoping to buy North American Construction Group Ltd. (TSE:NOA) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. This means that investors who purchase North American Construction Group's shares on or after the 26th of May will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 8th of July.

The company's upcoming dividend is CA$0.08 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of CA$0.32 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, North American Construction Group has a trailing yield of 2.0% on the current stock price of CA$15.64. 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! So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

See our latest analysis for North American Construction Group

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. North American Construction Group paid out just 12% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether North American Construction Group generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It paid out 12% 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?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That's why it's comforting to see North American Construction Group's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 39% per annum for the past five years. North American Construction Group looks like a real growth company, with earnings per share growing at a cracking pace and the company reinvesting most of its profits in the business.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the past eight years, North American Construction Group has increased its dividend at approximately 19% a year on average. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.

The Bottom Line

Is North American Construction Group an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? North American Construction Group has been growing earnings at a rapid rate, and has a conservatively low payout ratio, implying that it is reinvesting heavily in its business; a sterling combination. Overall we think this is an attractive combination and worthy of further research.

With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. Be aware that North American Construction Group is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those can't be ignored...

Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.

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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.