National Presto Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPK) Goes Ex-Dividend Soon

It looks like National Presto Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPK) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 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 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. This means that investors who purchase National Presto Industries' shares on or after the 28th of February will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of March.

The company's upcoming dividend is US$4.50 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$6.25 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, National Presto Industries stock has a trailing yield of around 8.1% on the current share price of $77.29. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

View our latest analysis for National Presto Industries

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. National Presto Industries is paying out just 19% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. 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. Luckily it paid out just 16% of its free cash flow last year.

It's positive to see that National Presto Industries'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 National Presto Industries 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 decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. So we're not too excited that National Presto Industries's earnings are down 3.2% a year over the past five years.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. National Presto Industries has seen its dividend decline 2.7% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see. While it's not great that earnings and dividends per share have fallen in recent years, we're encouraged by the fact that management has trimmed the dividend rather than risk over-committing the company in a risky attempt to maintain yields to shareholders.

Final Takeaway

Has National Presto Industries got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? National Presto Industries has comfortably low cash and profit payout ratios, which may mean the dividend is sustainable even in the face of a sharp decline in earnings per share. Still, we consider declining earnings to be a warning sign. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about National Presto Industries from a dividend perspective.

In light of that, while National Presto Industries has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for National Presto Industries (1 can't be ignored) 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.