Yahoo Finance Income Investors Should Know That CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Goes Ex-Dividend Soon
It looks like CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Thus, you can purchase CME Group's shares before the 9th of September in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 27th of September.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.90 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$6.10 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that CME Group has a trailing yield of 3.1% on the current share price of $195.3. 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 CME Group has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
See our latest analysis for CME Group
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. CME Group paid out 65% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses.
Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.
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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. This is why it's a relief to see CME Group earnings per share are up 7.7% per annum over the last 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, 10 years ago, CME Group has lifted its dividend by approximately 21% a year on average. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.
The Bottom Line
Has CME Group got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Earnings per share have been growing at a reasonable rate, and the company is paying out a bit over half its earnings as dividends. In sum this is a middling combination, and we find it hard to get excited about the company from a dividend perspective.
So if you want to do more digging on CME Group, you'll find it worthwhile knowing the risks that this stock faces. To help with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs for CME Group that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.
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.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.
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