Three Days Left To Buy Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (BIT:MT) Before The Ex-Dividend Date

It looks like Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (BIT:MT) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled 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. Meaning, you will need to purchase Maire Tecnimont's shares before the 19th of April to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 21st of April.

The company's next dividend payment will be €0.18 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed €0.18 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Maire Tecnimont has a trailing yield of 5.9% on the current share price of €3.096. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! As a result, readers should always check whether Maire Tecnimont has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Maire Tecnimont

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. Maire Tecnimont paid out more than half (72%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Maire Tecnimont generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It paid out 23% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.

It's positive to see that Maire Tecnimont's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks with flat earnings can still be attractive dividend payers, but it is important to be more conservative with your approach and demand a greater margin for safety when it comes to dividend sustainability. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Maire Tecnimont's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years. We'd take that over an earnings decline any day, but in the long run, the best dividend stocks all grow their earnings per share. 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.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Maire Tecnimont's dividend payments per share have declined at 11% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring.

Final Takeaway

Should investors buy Maire Tecnimont for the upcoming dividend? It's unfortunate that earnings per share have not grown, and we'd note that Maire Tecnimont is paying out lower percentage of its cashflow than its profit, but overall the dividend looks well covered by earnings. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects.

So while Maire Tecnimont looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Maire Tecnimont you should be aware of.

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.