PrairieSky Royalty Ltd (TSE:PSK): What You Have To Know Before Buying For The Upcoming Dividend

On the 15 March 2018, PrairieSky Royalty Ltd (TSX:PSK) will be paying shareholders an upcoming dividend amount of CA$0.06 per share. However, investors must have bought the company's stock before 27 February 2018 in order to qualify for the payment. That means you have only 3 days left! Investors looking for higher income-generating stocks to add to their portfolio should keep reading, as I examine PrairieSky Royalty's latest financial data to analyse its dividend characteristics. See our latest analysis for PrairieSky Royalty

Here's how I find good dividend stocks

Whenever I am looking at a potential dividend stock investment, I always check these five 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?
• Can it afford to pay the current rate of dividends from its earnings?
• Will the company be able to keep paying dividend based on the future earnings growth?

Does PrairieSky Royalty pass our checks?

The company currently pays out 178.68% of its earnings as a dividend, according to its trailing twelve-month data, which means that the dividend is not well-covered by its earnings. Furthermore, analysts are forecasting the payout ratio to exceed earnings going forward, leading to a future of uncertainty around the stability of PSK's dividend income. If dividend is a key criteria in your investment consideration, then you need to make sure the dividend stock you're eyeing out is reliable in its payments. Unfortunately, it is really too early to view PrairieSky Royalty as a dividend investment. It has only been consistently paying dividends for 4 years, however, standard practice for reliable payers is to look for a 10-year minimum track record. In terms of its peers, PrairieSky Royalty generates a yield of 2.56%, which is on the low-side for Oil and Gas stocks.

Next Steps:

After digging a little deeper into PrairieSky Royalty's yield, it's easy to see why you should be cautious investing in the company just for the dividend. On the other hand, if you are not strictly just a dividend investor, the stock could still be offering some interesting investment opportunities. 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 key aspects you should further examine:

• 1. Valuation: What is PSK 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 PSK is currently mispriced by the market.
• 2. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business – take a look at who sits on PrairieSky Royalty’s board and the CEO’s back ground.
• 3. Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here.

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Simply Wall St analyst Simply Wall St and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.