Bowler Metcalf (JSE:BCF) Could Be A Buy For Its Upcoming Dividend

Bowler Metcalf Limited (JSE:BCF) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next three days. You can purchase shares before the 24th of March in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 29th of March.

Bowler Metcalf's next dividend payment will be R0.19 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of R0.47 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Bowler Metcalf stock has a trailing yield of around 4.6% on the current share price of ZAR10.01. 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 check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

See our latest analysis for Bowler Metcalf

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 Bowler Metcalf's payout ratio is modest, at just 39% of profit. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Bowler Metcalf generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It distributed 38% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.

It's positive to see that Bowler Metcalf'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 how much of its profit Bowler Metcalf paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Bowler Metcalf, with earnings per share up 7.6% on average over the last five years. Management have been reinvested more than half of the company's earnings within the business, and the company has been able to grow earnings with this retained capital. Organisations that reinvest heavily in themselves typically get stronger over time, which can bring attractive benefits such as stronger earnings and dividends.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Bowler Metcalf has lifted its dividend by approximately 4.1% a year on average. 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.

To Sum It Up

Has Bowler Metcalf got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Earnings per share growth has been growing somewhat, and Bowler Metcalf is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow as dividends. This is interesting for a few reasons, as it suggests management may be reinvesting heavily in the business, but it also provides room to increase the dividend in time. It might be nice to see earnings growing faster, but Bowler Metcalf is being conservative with its dividend payouts and could still perform reasonably over the long run. Overall we think this is an attractive combination and worthy of further research.

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 Bowler Metcalf you should be aware of.

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.

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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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