Only Four Days Left To Cash In On Legal & General Group's (LON:LGEN) Dividend

Legal & General Group Plc (LON:LGEN) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 15th of April will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 27th of May.

Legal & General Group's next dividend payment will be UK£0.13 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed UK£0.18 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Legal & General Group has a trailing yield of 5.9% on the current share price of £2.964. 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 Legal & General Group

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. It paid out 79% 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.

Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.

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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. This is why it's a relief to see Legal & General Group earnings per share are up 4.0% per annum over the last five years.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Legal & General Group has delivered an average of 14% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. 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

Should investors buy Legal & General Group for the upcoming dividend? Legal & General Group has been generating some growth in earnings per share while paying out more than half of its earnings to shareholders in the form of dividends. In sum this is a middling combination, and we find it hard to get excited about the company from a dividend perspective.

If you want to look further into Legal & General Group, it's worth knowing the risks this business faces. For example, we've found 1 warning sign for Legal & General Group that we recommend you consider before investing in the business.

If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top 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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