Be Sure To Check Out The Straits Trading Company Limited (SGX:S20) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend

The Straits Trading Company Limited (SGX:S20) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in four days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible 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. Accordingly, Straits Trading investors that purchase the stock on or after the 19th of April will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 6th of May.

The company's next dividend payment will be S$0.08 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of S$0.08 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Straits Trading stock has a trailing yield of around 2.4% on the current share price of SGD3.37. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

See our latest analysis for Straits Trading

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. Straits Trading paid out just 14% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. 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. It paid out more than half (68%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.

It's positive to see that Straits Trading's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

Click here to see how much of its profit Straits Trading paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's encouraging to see Straits Trading has grown its earnings rapidly, up 27% a year for the past five years.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Straits Trading has delivered 7.2% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

Final Takeaway

Has Straits Trading 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, Straits Trading paid out less than half its earnings and a bit over half its free cash flow. There's a lot to like about Straits Trading, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.

In light of that, while Straits Trading has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. To help with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs for Straits Trading (1 is concerning!) 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.