Is It Smart To Buy Kongsberg Gruppen ASA (OB:KOG) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend?

It looks like Kongsberg Gruppen ASA (OB:KOG) is about to go ex-dividend in the next three 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. Therefore, if you purchase Kongsberg Gruppen's shares on or after the 12th of May, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 25th of May.

The company's next dividend payment will be kr15.30 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed kr15.30 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Kongsberg Gruppen has a trailing yield of approximately 3.8% on its current stock price of NOK400.8. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. As a result, readers should always check whether Kongsberg Gruppen has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Kongsberg Gruppen

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Kongsberg Gruppen paid out a comfortable 27% of its profit last year. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 34% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

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?

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 earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Fortunately for readers, Kongsberg Gruppen's earnings per share have been growing at 17% a year for the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing rapidly and the company is retaining a majority of its earnings within the business. This will make it easier to fund future growth efforts and we think this is an attractive combination - plus the dividend can always be increased later.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Kongsberg Gruppen has lifted its dividend by approximately 15% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.

To Sum It Up

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Kongsberg Gruppen? It's great that Kongsberg Gruppen is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's disappointing to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past, but as things stand now, the low payout ratio suggests a conservative approach to dividends, which we like. Kongsberg Gruppen looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.

On that note, you'll want to research what risks Kongsberg Gruppen is facing. For example, we've found 2 warning signs for Kongsberg Gruppen that we recommend you consider before investing in the business.

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.