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4 Days To Buy Lacroix SA (EPA:LACR) Before The Ex-Dividend Date

Readers hoping to buy Lacroix SA (EPA:LACR) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. If you purchase the stock on or after the 14th of April, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 16th of April.

Lacroix's upcoming dividend is €0.90 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of €0.90 per share to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Lacroix has a trailing yield of 4.5% on the current share price of €19.95. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Lacroix's dividend is reliable and sustainable. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

Check out our latest analysis for Lacroix

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 Lacroix paying out a modest 30% of its earnings. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Lacroix generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Lacroix paid a dividend despite reporting negative free cash flow last year. That's typically a bad combination and - if this were more than a one-off - not sustainable.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

ENXTPA:LACR Historical Dividend Yield April 9th 2020
ENXTPA:LACR Historical Dividend Yield April 9th 2020

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 fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Lacroix earnings per share are up 3.6% per annum over the last five years.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Lacroix has delivered an average of 12% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past ten years of dividend payments. 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 Lacroix got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Lacroix delivered reasonable earnings per share growth in recent times, and paid out less than half its profits and -49% of its cash flow over the last year, which is a mediocre outcome. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects.

With that being said, if dividends aren't your biggest concern with Lacroix, you should know about the other risks facing this business. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Lacroix (including 1 which shouldn't be ignored).

A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.