Do These 3 Checks Before Buying Akzo Nobel India Limited (NSE:AKZOINDIA) For Its Upcoming Dividend

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Akzo Nobel India Limited (NSE:AKZOINDIA) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next three days. 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 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. Accordingly, Akzo Nobel India investors that purchase the stock on or after the 22nd of February will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 13th of March.

The company's upcoming dividend is ₹40.00 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of ₹80.00 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Akzo Nobel India has a trailing yield of approximately 4.1% on its current stock price of ₹1943. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Akzo Nobel India's dividend is reliable and sustainable. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

View our latest analysis for Akzo Nobel India

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. Akzo Nobel India paid out 110% of profit in the past year, which we think is typically not sustainable unless there are mitigating characteristics such as unusually strong cash flow or a large cash balance. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. It paid out more than half (69%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.

It's good to see that while Akzo Nobel India's dividends were not covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a cash perspective. Still, if the company repeatedly paid a dividend greater than its profits, we'd be concerned. Extraordinarily few companies are capable of persistently paying a dividend that is greater than their profits.

Click here to see how much of its profit Akzo Nobel India paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Akzo Nobel India earnings per share are up 6.7% per annum over the last five years.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last 10 years, Akzo Nobel India has lifted its dividend by approximately 16% 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.

Final Takeaway

Is Akzo Nobel India worth buying for its dividend? While earnings per share have been growing slowly, Akzo Nobel India is paying out an uncomfortably high percentage of its earnings. However it did pay out a lower percentage of its cashflow. It's not the most attractive proposition from a dividend perspective, and we'd probably give this one a miss for now.

With that in mind though, if the poor dividend characteristics of Akzo Nobel India don't faze you, it's worth being mindful of the risks involved with this business. Our analysis shows 1 warning sign for Akzo Nobel India and you should be aware of it before buying any shares.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top 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.