Relais Group Oyj (HEL:RELAIS) Goes Ex-Dividend Soon

It looks like Relais Group Oyj (HEL:RELAIS) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 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. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. This means that investors who purchase Relais Group Oyj's shares on or after the 14th of April will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 26th of April.

The company's next dividend payment will be €0.36 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed €0.36 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Relais Group Oyj stock has a trailing yield of around 1.7% on the current share price of €21.3. 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 investigate whether Relais Group Oyj can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

Check out our latest analysis for Relais Group Oyj

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. It paid out 82% of its earnings as dividends last year, which is not unreasonable, but limits reinvestment in the business and leaves the dividend vulnerable to a business downturn. We'd be worried about the risk of a drop in earnings. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Relais Group Oyj generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It paid out more than half (57%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.

It's positive to see that Relais Group Oyj'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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. This is why it's a relief to see Relais Group Oyj earnings per share are up 3.6% per annum over the last three years. A high payout ratio of 82% generally happens when a company can't find better uses for the cash. Combined with slim earnings growth in the past few years, Relais Group Oyj could be signalling that its future growth prospects are thin.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Relais Group Oyj has delivered 90% dividend growth per year on average over the past two years. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.

Final Takeaway

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Relais Group Oyj? Earnings per share growth has been unremarkable, and while the company is paying out a majority of its earnings and cash flow in the form of dividends, the dividend payments don't appear excessive. Overall we're not hugely bearish on the stock, but there are likely better dividend investments out there.

However if you're still interested in Relais Group Oyj as a potential investment, you should definitely consider some of the risks involved with Relais Group Oyj. For example, Relais Group Oyj has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks.

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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.