Collectors Universe (NASDAQ:CLCT) Could Be A Buy For Its Upcoming Dividend

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLCT) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 12th of November in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 27th of November.

Collectors Universe's next dividend payment will be US$0.17 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.70 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Collectors Universe has a trailing yield of approximately 1.0% on its current stock price of $71.6. 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! As a result, readers should always check whether Collectors Universe has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

Check out our latest analysis for Collectors Universe

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. That's why it's good to see Collectors Universe paying out a modest 48% of its earnings. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Fortunately, it paid out only 28% of its free cash flow in the past year.

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 Collectors Universe 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. Fortunately for readers, Collectors Universe's earnings per share have been growing at 11% a year for the past five years. The company has managed to grow earnings at a rapid rate, while reinvesting most of the profits within the business. This will make it easier to fund future growth efforts and we think this is an attractive combination - plus the dividend can always be increased later.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Collectors Universe's dividend payments per share have declined at 3.5% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring. Collectors Universe is a rare case where dividends have been decreasing at the same time as earnings per share have been improving. It's unusual to see, and could point to unstable conditions in the core business, or more rarely an intensified focus on reinvesting profits.

To Sum It Up

Is Collectors Universe worth buying for its dividend? Collectors Universe has grown its earnings per share while simultaneously reinvesting in the business. Unfortunately it's cut the dividend at least once in the past 10 years, but the conservative payout ratio makes the current dividend look sustainable. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.

While it's tempting to invest in Collectors Universe for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. To help with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Collectors Universe that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting 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. 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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