Birla Cable Limited (NSE:BIRLACABLE) Looks Like A Good Stock, And It's Going Ex-Dividend Soon

Birla Cable Limited (NSE:BIRLACABLE) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in three days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. 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. Accordingly, Birla Cable investors that purchase the stock on or after the 15th of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 23rd of October.

The company's next dividend payment will be ₹1.00 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed ₹1.00 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Birla Cable has a trailing yield of 1.2% on the current share price of ₹85.6. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

See our latest analysis for Birla Cable

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. That's why it's good to see Birla Cable paying out a modest 30% of its earnings. Birla Cable paid a dividend despite reporting negative free cash flow last year. That's typically a bad combination and - if this were more than a one-off - not sustainable.

Click here to see how much of its profit Birla Cable 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. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Birla Cable, with earnings per share up 3.2% on average 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. Birla Cable's dividend payments are effectively flat on where they were seven years ago.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy Birla Cable for the upcoming dividend? It has been growing its earnings per share somewhat in recent years, although it reinvests more than half its earnings in the business, which could suggest there are some growth projects that have not yet reached fruition. Overall, Birla Cable looks like a promising dividend stock in this analysis, and we think it would be worth investigating further.

While it's tempting to invest in Birla Cable for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. Be aware that Birla Cable is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit unpleasant...

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting 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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