Yahoo Finance Be Sure To Check Out Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (NYSE:COG) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend
Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (NYSE:COG) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 23rd of January will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 7th of February.
Cabot Oil & Gas's upcoming dividend is US$0.10 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.40 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Cabot Oil & Gas has a trailing yield of 2.4% on the current stock price of $16.81. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
Check out our latest analysis for Cabot Oil & Gas
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Cabot Oil & Gas is paying out just 17% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. It paid out 21% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.
It's positive to see that Cabot Oil & Gas'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?
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. 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 Cabot Oil & Gas's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 24% per annum for the past five years. Cabot Oil & Gas looks like a real growth company, with earnings per share growing at a cracking pace and the company reinvesting most of its profits in the business.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last ten years, Cabot Oil & Gas has lifted its dividend by approximately 30% a year on average. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see.
The Bottom Line
Is Cabot Oil & Gas an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Cabot Oil & Gas has been growing earnings at a rapid rate, and has a conservatively low payout ratio, implying that it is reinvesting heavily in its business; a sterling combination. There's a lot to like about Cabot Oil & Gas, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.
Ever wonder what the future holds for Cabot Oil & Gas? See what the 19 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.
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.
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