Yahoo Finance The Go-Ahead Group plc (LON:GOG) Stock Goes Ex-Dividend In Just 3 Days
Readers hoping to buy The Go-Ahead Group plc (LON:GOG) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. You will need to purchase shares before the 31st of October to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 22nd of November.
Go-Ahead Group's next dividend payment will be UK£0.7 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of UK£1.0 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Go-Ahead Group has a trailing yield of approximately 4.7% on its current stock price of £21.6. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Go-Ahead Group's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
See our latest analysis for Go-Ahead Group
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. Go-Ahead Group paid out 75% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. 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. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 35% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.
It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. That's why it's not ideal to see Go-Ahead Group's earnings per share have been shrinking at 3.6% a year over the previous five years.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, ten years ago, Go-Ahead Group has lifted its dividend by approximately 2.3% a year on average. That's interesting, but the combination of a growing dividend despite declining earnings can typically only be achieved by paying out more of the company's profits. This can be valuable for shareholders, but it can't go on forever.
The Bottom Line
Is Go-Ahead Group an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? The payout ratios are within a reasonable range, implying the dividend may be sustainable. Declining earnings are a serious concern, however, and could pose a threat to the dividend in future. In summary, it's hard to get excited about Go-Ahead Group from a dividend perspective.
Curious what other investors think of Go-Ahead Group? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow.
If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
