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Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Regal Beloit Corporation (NYSE:RBC) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. You will need to purchase shares before the 26th of September to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 11th of October.
Regal Beloit's next dividend payment will be US$0.3 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$1.2 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Regal Beloit has a trailing yield of 1.7% on the current share price of $72.61. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Regal Beloit's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether Regal Beloit has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
Check out our latest analysis for Regal Beloit
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. Regal Beloit paid out just 19% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It paid out 19% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.
It's positive to see that Regal Beloit'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?
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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. For this reason, we're glad to see Regal Beloit's earnings per share have risen 18% per annum over the last five years. Earnings per share are growing rapidly and the company is keeping more than half of its earnings within the business; an attractive combination which could suggest the company is focused on reinvesting to grow earnings further. Fast-growing businesses that are reinvesting heavily are enticing from a dividend perspective, especially since they can often increase the payout ratio later.