Al Moammar Information Systems Company (TADAWUL:7200) Pays A ر.س1.00 Dividend In Just Four Days

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Al Moammar Information Systems Company (TADAWUL:7200) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four 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. 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. In other words, investors can purchase Al Moammar Information Systems' shares before the 1st of March in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 14th of March.

The company's upcoming dividend is ر.س1.00 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of ر.س2.10 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Al Moammar Information Systems stock has a trailing yield of around 1.3% on the current share price of SAR152.4. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Al Moammar Information Systems's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

Check out our latest analysis for Al Moammar Information Systems

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. Al Moammar Information Systems paid out 65% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. The company paid out 93% of its free cash flow over the last year, which we think is outside the ideal range for most businesses. Companies usually need cash more than they need earnings - expenses don't pay themselves - so it's not great to see it paying out so much of its cash flow.

While Al Moammar Information Systems's dividends were covered by the company's reported profits, cash is somewhat more important, so it's not great to see that the company didn't generate enough cash to pay its dividend. Were this to happen repeatedly, this would be a risk to Al Moammar Information Systems's ability to maintain its dividend.

Click here to see how much of its profit Al Moammar Information Systems paid out over the last 12 months.

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. Fortunately for readers, Al Moammar Information Systems's earnings per share have been growing at 12% a year for the past five years. Earnings have been growing at a decent rate, but we're concerned dividend payments consumed most of the company's cash flow over the past year.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Al Moammar Information Systems has delivered 25% dividend growth per year on average over the past two years. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see.

The Bottom Line

Is Al Moammar Information Systems an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? It's good to see that earnings per share are growing and that the company's payout ratio is within a normal range for most businesses. However we're somewhat concerned that it paid out 93% of its cashflow, which is uncomfortably high. In summary, while it has some positive characteristics, we're not inclined to race out and buy Al Moammar Information Systems today.

If you want to look further into Al Moammar Information Systems, it's worth knowing the risks this business faces. For example - Al Moammar Information Systems has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top 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.