Do These 3 Checks Before Buying SinterCast AB (publ) (STO:SINT) For Its Upcoming Dividend

It looks like SinterCast AB (publ) (STO:SINT) 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 an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase SinterCast's shares before the 18th of May to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 24th of May.

The company's upcoming dividend is kr2.50 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of kr4.50 per share to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that SinterCast has a trailing yield of 3.4% on the current share price of SEK131.8. 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! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

See our latest analysis for SinterCast

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. SinterCast paid out 94% of its earnings, which is more than we're comfortable with, unless there are mitigating circumstances. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether SinterCast generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. SinterCast paid out more free cash flow than it generated - 130%, to be precise - last year, which we think is concerningly high. It's hard to consistently pay out more cash than you generate without either borrowing or using company cash, so we'd wonder how the company justifies this payout level.

Cash is slightly more important than profit from a dividend perspective, but given SinterCast's payouts were not well covered by either earnings or cash flow, we would be concerned about the sustainability of this dividend.

Click here to see how much of its profit SinterCast 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 decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at SinterCast, with earnings per share up 4.8% on average over the last five years. With limited earnings growth and paying out a concerningly high percentage of its earnings, the prospects of future dividend growth don't look so bright here.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. SinterCast has delivered an average of 16% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

To Sum It Up

Is SinterCast an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? SinterCast is paying out an uncomfortably high percentage of both earnings and cash flow as dividends, although at least earnings per share are growing somewhat. It's not that we think SinterCast is a bad company, but these characteristics don't generally lead to outstanding dividend performance.

With that in mind though, if the poor dividend characteristics of SinterCast don't faze you, it's worth being mindful of the risks involved with this business. To help with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs for SinterCast (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you ought to be aware of before buying the shares.

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.