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Readers hoping to buy Bridgemarq Real Estate Services Inc. (TSE:BRE) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. 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. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. In other words, investors can purchase Bridgemarq Real Estate Services' shares before the 28th of April in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 31st of May.
The company's next dividend payment will be CA$0.11 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of CA$1.35 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Bridgemarq Real Estate Services has a trailing yield of 8.9% on the current share price of CA$15.19. 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 investigate whether Bridgemarq Real Estate Services can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
See our latest analysis for Bridgemarq Real Estate Services
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. An unusually high payout ratio of 269% of its profit suggests something is happening other than the usual distribution of profits to shareholders. 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. Over the last year, it paid out more than three-quarters (83%) of its free cash flow generated, which is fairly high and may be starting to limit reinvestment in the business.
It's good to see that while Bridgemarq Real Estate Services's dividends were not covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a cash perspective. If executives were to continue paying more in dividends than the company reported in profits, we'd view this as a warning sign. Extraordinarily few companies are capable of persistently paying a dividend that is greater than their profits.
Click here to see how much of its profit Bridgemarq Real Estate Services paid out over the last 12 months.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies with falling earnings are riskier for dividend shareholders. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Readers will understand then, why we're concerned to see Bridgemarq Real Estate Services's earnings per share have dropped 11% a year over the past five years. Such a sharp decline casts doubt on the future sustainability of the dividend.