How Does Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) Fare As A Dividend Stock?

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A large part of investment returns can be generated by dividend-paying stock given their role in compounding returns over time. Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) has begun paying dividends recently. It now yields 1.3%. Should it have a place in your portfolio? Let's take a look at Citrix Systems in more detail.

Check out our latest analysis for Citrix Systems

5 questions I ask before picking a dividend stock

When researching a dividend stock, I always follow the following screening criteria:

• Is its annual yield among the top 25% of dividend-paying companies?
• Does it consistently pay out dividends without missing a payment of significantly cutting payout?
• Has the amount of dividend per share grown over the past?
• Is its earnings sufficient to payout dividend at the current rate?
• Will the company be able to keep paying dividend based on the future earnings growth?

How well does Citrix Systems fit our criteria?

The current trailing twelve-month payout ratio for the stock is 8.3%, which means that the dividend is covered by earnings. Furthermore, analysts have not forecasted a dividends per share for the future, which makes it hard to determine the yield shareholders should expect, and whether the current payout is sustainable, moving forward.

If you want to dive deeper into the sustainability of a certain payout ratio, you may wish to consider the cash flow of the business. Companies with strong cash flow can sustain a higher payout ratio, while companies with weaker cash flow generally cannot.

If there's one type of stock you want to be reliable, it's dividend stocks and their stable income-generating ability. The reality is that it is too early to consider Citrix Systems as a dividend investment. Last year was the company's first dividend payment, so it is certainly early days. The standard practice for reliable payers is to look for 10 or so years of track record.

Relative to peers, Citrix Systems has a yield of 1.3%, which is on the low-side for Software stocks.

Next Steps:

After digging a little deeper into Citrix Systems's yield, it's easy to see why you should be cautious investing in the company just for the dividend. But if you are not exclusively a dividend investor, the stock could still be an interesting investment opportunity. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, I recommend taking sufficient time to understand its core business and determine whether the company and its investment properties suit your overall goals. Below, I've compiled three fundamental factors you should further examine:

1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for CTXS’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for CTXS’s outlook.
2. Valuation: What is CTXS worth today? Even if the stock is a cash cow, it's not worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether CTXS is currently mispriced by the market.
3. Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.

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