The Bidvest Group Limited (JSE:BVT) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A Dividend

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see The Bidvest Group Limited (JSE:BVT) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next three days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. Therefore, if you purchase Bidvest Group's shares on or after the 23rd of March, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 28th of March.

The company's next dividend payment will be R3.80 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed R7.60 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Bidvest Group has a trailing yield of approximately 3.4% on its current stock price of ZAR220.66. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether Bidvest Group can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

View our latest analysis for Bidvest Group

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Bidvest Group paid out 50% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 36% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

It's positive to see that Bidvest Group's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

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. Fortunately for readers, Bidvest Group's earnings per share have been growing at 15% a year for the past five years. Bidvest Group is paying out a bit over half its earnings, which suggests the company is striking a balance between reinvesting in growth, and paying dividends. This is a reasonable combination that could hint at some further dividend increases in the future.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the past 10 years, Bidvest Group has increased its dividend at approximately 4.1% a year on average. Earnings per share have been growing much quicker than dividends, potentially because Bidvest Group is keeping back more of its profits to grow the business.

The Bottom Line

Is Bidvest Group an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? We like Bidvest Group's growing earnings per share and the fact that - while its payout ratio is around average - it paid out a lower percentage of its cash flow. There's a lot to like about Bidvest Group, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.

With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Bidvest Group you should be aware of.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top 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.