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Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days. The ex-dividend date is two business days before a company's record date in most cases, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade can take two business days or more to settle. Therefore, if you purchase Metro's shares on or after the 7th of May, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 27th of May.
The company's next dividend payment will be CA$0.37 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed CA$1.48 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Metro has a trailing yield of 1.4% on the current share price of CA$105.06. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. As a result, readers should always check whether Metro has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
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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. That's why it's good to see Metro paying out a modest 32% 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 distributed 28% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.
It's positive to see that Metro'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.
Check out our latest analysis for Metro
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 Metro's earnings per share have risen 10% per annum over the last five years. The company has managed to grow earnings at a rapid rate, while reinvesting most of the profits within the business. This will make it easier to fund future growth efforts and we think this is an attractive combination - plus the dividend can always be increased later.