Should You Buy Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (TSE:WPM) For Its Upcoming Dividend?

Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (TSE:WPM) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a 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. Therefore, if you purchase Wheaton Precious Metals' shares on or after the 23rd of March, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 7th of April.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.15 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.60 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Wheaton Precious Metals has a trailing yield of 1.3% on the current share price of CA$60.29. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

See our latest analysis for Wheaton Precious Metals

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. Wheaton Precious Metals paid out a comfortable 34% 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. Over the last year it paid out 68% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.

It's positive to see that Wheaton Precious Metals'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?

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 earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. It's encouraging to see Wheaton Precious Metals has grown its earnings rapidly, up 30% a year for the past five years.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the past 10 years, Wheaton Precious Metals has increased its dividend at approximately 17% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.

To Sum It Up

Is Wheaton Precious Metals worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share have grown at a nice rate in recent times and over the last year, Wheaton Precious Metals paid out less than half its earnings and a bit over half its free cash flow. There's a lot to like about Wheaton Precious Metals, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.

On that note, you'll want to research what risks Wheaton Precious Metals is facing. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Wheaton Precious Metals that we strongly recommend you have a look at before investing in the company.

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.