Dividend Investors: Don't Be Too Quick To Buy Myers Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MYE) For Its Upcoming Dividend

Readers hoping to buy Myers Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MYE) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a 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. Thus, you can purchase Myers Industries' shares before the 3rd of December in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 5th of January.

The company's upcoming dividend is US$0.14 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.54 per share to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Myers Industries has a trailing yield of 2.6% on the current share price of $20.47. 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! So we need to investigate whether Myers Industries can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

See our latest analysis for Myers Industries

Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Myers Industries paid out 66% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Myers Industries generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Myers Industries paid out more free cash flow than it generated - 196%, to be precise - last year, which we think is concerningly high. It's hard to consistently pay out more cash than you generate without either borrowing or using company cash, so we'd wonder how the company justifies this payout level.

While Myers Industries's dividends were covered by the company's reported profits, cash is somewhat more important, so it's not great to see that the company didn't generate enough cash to pay its dividend. Were this to happen repeatedly, this would be a risk to Myers Industries's ability to maintain its dividend.

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

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. This is why it's a relief to see Myers Industries earnings per share are up 7.2% per annum over the last five years. Earnings have been growing at a steady rate, but we're concerned dividend payments consumed most of the company's cash flow over the past year.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Myers Industries has delivered 6.8% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.

Final Takeaway

Is Myers Industries worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share have grown somewhat, although Myers Industries paid out over half its profits and the dividend was not well covered by free cash flow. It's not that we think Myers Industries is a bad company, but these characteristics don't generally lead to outstanding dividend performance.

With that being said, if you're still considering Myers Industries as an investment, you'll find it beneficial to know what risks this stock is facing. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Myers Industries and you should be aware of them before buying any shares.

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.

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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