Here's What We Like About Independent Investment Trust's (LON:IIT) Upcoming Dividend

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see The Independent Investment Trust PLC (LON:IIT) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 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 important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. Therefore, if you purchase Independent Investment Trust's shares on or after the 29th of July, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 20th of August.

The company's next dividend payment will be UK£0.03 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed UK£0.08 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Independent Investment Trust has a trailing yield of approximately 1.4% on its current stock price of £5.55. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

View our latest analysis for Independent Investment Trust

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. Independent Investment Trust has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 4.6% of its income after tax.

When a company paid out less in dividends than it earned in profit, this generally suggests its dividend is affordable. The lower the % of its profit that it pays out, the greater the margin of safety for the dividend if the business enters a downturn.

Click here to see how much of its profit Independent Investment Trust paid out over the last 12 months.

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. Fortunately for readers, Independent Investment Trust's earnings per share have been growing at 15% 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. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Independent Investment Trust has lifted its dividend by approximately 4.8% a year on average. It's good to see both earnings and the dividend have improved - although the former has been rising much quicker than the latter, possibly due to the company reinvesting more of its profits in growth.

The Bottom Line

Has Independent Investment Trust got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Companies like Independent Investment Trust that are growing rapidly and paying out a low fraction of earnings, are usually reinvesting heavily in their business. Perhaps even more importantly - this can sometimes signal management is focused on the long term future of the business. Overall, Independent Investment Trust looks like a promising dividend stock in this analysis, and we think it would be worth investigating further.

On that note, you'll want to research what risks Independent Investment Trust is facing. For example, we've found 2 warning signs for Independent Investment Trust (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that deserve your attention before investing in the shares.

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. 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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