ASR Nederland (AMS:ASRNL) Could Be A Buy For Its Upcoming Dividend

Readers hoping to buy ASR Nederland N.V. (AMS:ASRNL) 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 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 ASR Nederland's shares before the 21st of May to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 26th of May.

The company's upcoming dividend is €1.28 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of €2.04 per share to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that ASR Nederland has a trailing yield of 5.5% on the current share price of €37.29. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether ASR Nederland has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

View our latest analysis for ASR Nederland

Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. That's why it's good to see ASR Nederland paying out a modest 46% of its earnings.

Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.

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. That explains why we're not overly excited about ASR Nederland's flat earnings 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.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the past four years, ASR Nederland has increased its dividend at approximately 13% a year on average.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy ASR Nederland for the upcoming dividend? ASR Nederland has seen its earnings per share stagnate in recent years, although the company reinvests more than half of its profits in the business, which could bode well for its future prospects. Overall, ASR Nederland looks like a promising dividend stock in this analysis, and we think it would be worth investigating further.

So while ASR Nederland looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. We've identified 2 warning signs with ASR Nederland (at least 1 which is a bit concerning), and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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. 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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