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Readers hoping to buy Firm Capital American Realty Partners Corp. (CVE:FCA.U) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. Investors can purchase shares before the 27th of September in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of October.
Firm Capital American Realty Partners's upcoming dividend is CA$0.06 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of CA$0.2 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Firm Capital American Realty Partners has a trailing yield of 4.4% on the current stock price of CA$7.17. 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! We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
See our latest analysis for Firm Capital American Realty Partners
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. That's why it's good to see Firm Capital American Realty Partners paying out a modest 26% of its earnings. 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. It paid out 99% of its free cash flow in the form of dividends last year, which is outside the comfort zone for most businesses. Companies usually need cash more than they need earnings - expenses don't pay themselves - so it's not great to see it paying out so much of its cash flow.
While Firm Capital American Realty Partners's dividends were covered by the company's reported profits, cash is somewhat more important, so it's not great to see that the company didn't generate enough cash to pay its dividend. Cash is king, as they say, and were Firm Capital American Realty Partners to repeatedly pay dividends that aren't well covered by cashflow, we would consider this a warning sign.
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. That's why it's comforting to see Firm Capital American Realty Partners's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 54% per annum for the past five years. Earnings have been growing quickly, but we're concerned dividend payments consumed most of the company's cash flow over the past year.