Income Investors Should Know That Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) Goes Ex-Dividend Soon
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. You will need to purchase shares before the 4th of November to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 3rd of December.
Xylem's next dividend payment will be US$0.26 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.04 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Xylem has a trailing yield of approximately 1.2% on its current stock price of $86.86. 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 Xylem can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
See our latest analysis for Xylem
Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Xylem paid out more than half (71%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. 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. Fortunately, it paid out only 29% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's positive to see that Xylem'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?
When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. Xylem's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 5.3% a year over the previous five years. Such a sharp decline casts doubt on the future sustainability of the dividend.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, nine years ago, Xylem has lifted its dividend by approximately 11% a year on average. Growing the dividend payout ratio while earnings are declining can deliver nice returns for a while, but it's always worth checking for when the company can't increase the payout ratio any more - because then the music stops.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Xylem? We're not enthused by the declining earnings per share, although at least the company's payout ratio is within a reasonable range, meaning it may not be at imminent risk of a dividend cut. In summary, it's hard to get excited about Xylem from a dividend perspective.
If you're not too concerned about Xylem's ability to pay dividends, you should still be mindful of some of the other risks that this business faces. To help with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs for Xylem that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.
We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
