Don't Buy Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (NYSE:HY) For Its Next Dividend Without Doing These Checks

It looks like Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (NYSE:HY) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. Therefore, if you purchase Hyster-Yale Materials Handling's shares on or after the 31st of August, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 15th of September.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.32 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.29 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Hyster-Yale Materials Handling has a trailing yield of 2.2% on the current share price of $57.76. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether Hyster-Yale Materials Handling can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

Check out our latest analysis for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Its dividend payout ratio is 83% of profit, which means the company is paying out a majority of its earnings. The relatively limited profit reinvestment could slow the rate of future earnings growth. We'd be concerned if earnings began to decline. 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. Over the last year it paid out 56% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual 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 how much of its profit Hyster-Yale Materials Handling paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 20% a year over the previous five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling has delivered 2.9% dividend growth per year on average over the past nine years. That's intriguing, but the combination of growing dividends despite declining earnings can typically only be achieved by paying out a larger percentage of profits. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling is already paying out a high percentage of its income, so without earnings growth, we're doubtful of whether this dividend will grow much in the future.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy Hyster-Yale Materials Handling for the upcoming dividend? It's never good to see earnings per share shrinking, but at least the dividend payout ratios appear reasonable. We're aware though that if earnings continue to decline, the dividend could be at risk. Bottom line: Hyster-Yale Materials Handling has some unfortunate characteristics that we think could lead to sub-optimal outcomes for dividend investors.

Although, if you're still interested in Hyster-Yale Materials Handling and want to know more, you'll find it very useful to know what risks this stock faces. We've identified 4 warning signs with Hyster-Yale Materials Handling (at least 1 which is concerning), and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

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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.
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