CLS Holdings plc (LON:CLI) Passed Our Checks, And It's About To Pay A UK£0.053 Dividend

Readers hoping to buy CLS Holdings plc (LON:CLI) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase CLS Holdings' shares before the 24th of March to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 29th of April.

The company's next dividend payment will be UK£0.053 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed UK£0.077 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, CLS Holdings has a trailing yield of 3.7% on the current stock price of £2.105. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether CLS Holdings's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to investigate whether CLS Holdings can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

Check out our latest analysis for CLS Holdings

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fortunately CLS Holdings's payout ratio is modest, at just 26% of profit. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Over the last year it paid out 71% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.

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 how much of its profit CLS Holdings paid out over the last 12 months.

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 CLS Holdings earnings per share are up 4.4% per annum over the last five years. 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.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, five years ago, CLS Holdings has lifted its dividend by approximately 6.0% a year on average. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

To Sum It Up

Is CLS Holdings worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share growth has been modest, and it's interesting that CLS Holdings is paying out less than half of its earnings and more than half its cash flow to shareholders in the form of dividends. Overall we're not hugely bearish on the stock, but there are likely better dividend investments out there.

With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with CLS Holdings (including 1 which is a bit concerning).

A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield 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.