Should You Buy Quebecor Inc. (TSE:QBR.A) For Its Upcoming Dividend?

It looks like Quebecor Inc. (TSE:QBR.A) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 11th of March will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 6th of April.

Quebecor's next dividend payment will be CA$0.28 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of CA$0.80 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Quebecor has a trailing yield of 3.3% on the current stock price of CA$33.8. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Quebecor's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

See our latest analysis for Quebecor

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. That's why it's good to see Quebecor paying out a modest 35% of its earnings. 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. Fortunately, it paid out only 26% of its free cash flow in the past year.

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?

Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. That's why it's comforting to see Quebecor's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 28% per annum for the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing very quickly, and the company is paying out a relatively low percentage of its profit and cash flow. 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.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Quebecor has delivered 36% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.

The Bottom Line

Should investors buy Quebecor for the upcoming dividend? We love that Quebecor is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. Quebecor looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.

On that note, you'll want to research what risks Quebecor is facing. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Quebecor and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

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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.
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