Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE:AGR) Is About To Go Ex-Dividend, And It Pays A 3.8% Yield

Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE:AGR) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 4th of March will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 1st of April.

Avangrid's next dividend payment will be US$0.44 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.76 per share. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Avangrid has a trailing yield of 3.8% on the current share price of $45.76. 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 check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

View our latest analysis for Avangrid

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. Last year, Avangrid paid out 94% of its income as dividends, which is above a level that we're comfortable with, especially if the company needs to reinvest in its business. Avangrid paid a dividend despite reporting negative free cash flow over the last twelve months. This may be due to heavy investment in the business, but this is still suboptimal from a dividend sustainability perspective.

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. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. Fortunately for readers, Avangrid's earnings per share have been growing at 12% a year for the past five years.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Avangrid's dividend payments are broadly unchanged compared to where they were five years ago.

Final Takeaway

Has Avangrid got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Avangrid has been generating credible earnings per share growth, although its dividend payments were not adequately covered by earnings. Overall, Avangrid looks like a promising dividend stock in this analysis, and we think it would be worth investigating further.

With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Avangrid (including 1 which can't be ignored).

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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