Yahoo Finance Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) Passed Our Checks, And It's About To Pay A 0.4% Dividend
Readers hoping to buy Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 27th of November will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 13th of December.
Huntington Ingalls Industries's next dividend payment will be US$1.03 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$4.12 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Huntington Ingalls Industries has a trailing yield of 1.6% on the current share price of $250.73. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.
See our latest analysis for Huntington Ingalls Industries
Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Huntington Ingalls Industries paid out just 23% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Fortunately, it paid out only 31% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's positive to see that Huntington Ingalls Industries'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?
Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 23% per annum for the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing very quickly, and the company is paying out a relatively low percentage of its profit and cash flow. Companies with growing earnings and low payout ratios are often the best long-term dividend stocks, as the company can both grow its earnings and increase the percentage of earnings that it pays out, essentially multiplying the dividend.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Huntington Ingalls Industries has delivered an average of 40% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past seven years of dividend payments. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.
The Bottom Line
Has Huntington Ingalls Industries got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? We love that Huntington Ingalls Industries is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. Huntington Ingalls Industries looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.
Wondering what the future holds for Huntington Ingalls Industries? See what the 11 analysts we track 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.
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.
