Should Income Investors Look At Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE:RGA) Before Its Ex-Dividend?

Readers hoping to buy Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE:RGA) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. 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. In other words, investors can purchase Reinsurance Group of America's shares before the 16th of May in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 31st of May.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.73 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$2.92 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Reinsurance Group of America stock has a trailing yield of around 2.5% on the current share price of $115.97. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether Reinsurance Group of America can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

See our latest analysis for Reinsurance Group of America

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Reinsurance Group of America paid out a comfortable 47% of its profit last year.

When a company paid out less in dividends than it earned in profit, this generally suggests its dividend is affordable. The lower the % of its profit that it pays out, the greater the margin of safety for the dividend if the business enters a downturn.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. Readers will understand then, why we're concerned to see Reinsurance Group of America's earnings per share have dropped 11% a year over the past five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Reinsurance Group of America has delivered an average of 15% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments.

To Sum It Up

Has Reinsurance Group of America got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Reinsurance Group of America's earnings per share are down over the past five years, although it has the cushion of a low payout ratio, which would suggest a cut to the dividend is relatively unlikely. We're unconvinced on the company's merits, and think there might be better opportunities out there.

If you're not too concerned about Reinsurance Group of America's ability to pay dividends, you should still be mindful of some of the other risks that this business faces. For example, we've found 1 warning sign for Reinsurance Group of America that we recommend you consider before investing in the business.

A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield 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.