Be Sure To Check Out Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend

It looks like Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) is about to go ex-dividend in the next three days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. In other words, investors can purchase Dow's shares before the 25th of February in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 11th of March.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.70 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$2.80 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Dow stock has a trailing yield of around 4.6% on the current share price of $60.59. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Dow has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

View our latest analysis for Dow

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Fortunately Dow's payout ratio is modest, at just 33% of profit. 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. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 45% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

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 the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. That's why it's comforting to see Dow's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 31% per annum for the past five years. Dow is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow, while simultaneously growing earnings per share at a rapid clip. Companies with growing earnings and low payout ratios are often the best long-term dividend stocks, as the company can both grow its earnings and increase the percentage of earnings that it pays out, essentially multiplying the dividend.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. It looks like the Dow dividends are largely the same as they were three years ago.

To Sum It Up

Has Dow got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Dow has been growing earnings at a rapid rate, and has a conservatively low payout ratio, implying that it is reinvesting heavily in its business; a sterling combination. Dow looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.

In light of that, while Dow has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. For example, Dow has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

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.