Yahoo Finance Interested In Automatic Data Processing's (NASDAQ:ADP) Upcoming US$0.93 Dividend? You Have Four Days Left
Readers hoping to buy Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. Accordingly, Automatic Data Processing investors that purchase the stock on or after the 10th of June will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 1st of July.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.93 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$3.72 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Automatic Data Processing has a trailing yield of 1.9% on the current share price of $197.72. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to investigate whether Automatic Data Processing can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Check out our latest analysis for Automatic Data Processing
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. Automatic Data Processing paid out 64% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Automatic Data Processing generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Over the last year it paid out 60% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.
It's positive to see that Automatic Data Processing'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?
Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. For this reason, we're glad to see Automatic Data Processing's earnings per share have risen 15% per annum over the last five years. Automatic Data Processing is paying out a bit over half its earnings, which suggests the company is striking a balance between reinvesting in growth, and paying dividends. This is a reasonable combination that could hint at some further dividend increases in the future.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Automatic Data Processing has delivered 11% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.
To Sum It Up
Is Automatic Data Processing an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? It's good to see earnings are growing, since all of the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run. That's why we're glad to see Automatic Data Processing's earnings per share growing, although as we saw, the company is paying out more than half of its earnings and cashflow - 64% and 60% respectively. To summarise, Automatic Data Processing looks okay on this analysis, although it doesn't appear a stand-out opportunity.
Wondering what the future holds for Automatic Data Processing? See what the 18 analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow
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.
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