There's A Lot To Like About Aperam's (AMS:APAM) Upcoming €0.42 Dividend

Aperam S.A. (AMS:APAM) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 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. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Accordingly, Aperam investors that purchase the stock on or after the 13th of May will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 10th of June.

The company's next dividend payment will be €0.42 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of €2.00 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Aperam stock has a trailing yield of around 5.6% on the current share price of €35.44. 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! So we need to investigate whether Aperam can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

See our latest analysis for Aperam

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Aperam has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 15% of its income after tax. 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 (61%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.

It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.

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

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That's why it's comforting to see Aperam's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 39% per annum for the past five years.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, Aperam has lifted its dividend by approximately 14% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.

The Bottom Line

Has Aperam got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Earnings per share have grown at a nice rate in recent times and over the last year, Aperam paid out less than half its earnings and a bit over half its free cash flow. Aperam looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.

In light of that, while Aperam has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. For example, we've found 4 warning signs for Aperam (2 are significant!) that deserve your attention before investing in the shares.

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.