Only Three Days Left To Cash In On Apollo Micro Systems' (NSE:APOLLO) Dividend

Apollo Micro Systems Limited (NSE:APOLLO) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. This means that investors who purchase Apollo Micro Systems' shares on or after the 16th of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 24th of October.

The company's next dividend payment will be ₹0.25 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of ₹0.25 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Apollo Micro Systems has a trailing yield of 0.2% on the current share price of ₹113.85. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Apollo Micro Systems's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether Apollo Micro Systems has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

Check out our latest analysis for Apollo Micro Systems

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Apollo Micro Systems has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 11% of its income after tax. Apollo Micro Systems paid a dividend despite reporting negative free cash flow over the last twelve months. This may be due to heavy investment in the business, but this is still suboptimal from a dividend sustainability perspective.

Click here to see how much of its profit Apollo Micro Systems paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. Apollo Micro Systems's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 8.2% a year over the previous five years. When earnings per share fall, the maximum amount of dividends that can be paid also falls.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Apollo Micro Systems's dividend payments per share have declined at 37% per year on average over the past three years, which is uninspiring. While it's not great that earnings and dividends per share have fallen in recent years, we're encouraged by the fact that management has trimmed the dividend rather than risk over-committing the company in a risky attempt to maintain yields to shareholders.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy Apollo Micro Systems for the upcoming dividend? Earnings per share have shrunk noticeably in recent years, although we like that the company has a low payout ratio. This could suggest a cut to the dividend may not be a major risk in the near future. We think this is a pretty attractive combination, and would be interested in investigating Apollo Micro Systems more closely.

With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Apollo Micro Systems (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable) you should be aware of.

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. 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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