Three Days Left To Buy Fiskars Oyj Abp (HEL:FSKRS) Before The Ex-Dividend Date

Fiskars Oyj Abp (HEL:FSKRS) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible 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 Fiskars Oyj Abp's shares on or after the 10th of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 20th of September.

The company's next dividend payment will be €0.30 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed €0.60 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Fiskars Oyj Abp has a trailing yield of 2.7% on the current share price of €22.25. 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! We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

Check out our latest analysis for Fiskars Oyj Abp

Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Fiskars Oyj Abp is paying out an acceptable 54% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies. 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. Luckily it paid out just 24% of its free cash flow last year.

It's positive to see that Fiskars Oyj Abp'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 that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. That explains why we're not overly excited about Fiskars Oyj Abp's flat earnings over the past five years. Better than seeing them fall off a cliff, for sure, but the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run. Earnings growth has been slim and the company is paying out more than half of its earnings. While there is some room to both increase the payout ratio and reinvest in the business, generally the higher a payout ratio goes, the lower a company's prospects for future growth.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Fiskars Oyj Abp's dividend payments are broadly unchanged compared to where they were 10 years ago.

Final Takeaway

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Fiskars Oyj Abp? It's unfortunate that earnings per share have not grown, and we'd note that Fiskars Oyj Abp is paying out lower percentage of its cashflow than its profit, but overall the dividend looks well covered by earnings. To summarise, Fiskars Oyj Abp looks okay on this analysis, although it doesn't appear a stand-out opportunity.

In light of that, while Fiskars Oyj Abp has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Fiskars Oyj Abp you should be aware of.

A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising 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. 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.
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