Yahoo Finance Three Days Left To Buy Ovintiv Inc. (TSE:OVV) Before The Ex-Dividend Date
It looks like Ovintiv Inc. (TSE:OVV) is about to go ex-dividend in the next three days. 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. Thus, you can purchase Ovintiv's shares before the 14th of June in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 30th of June.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.25 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.80 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Ovintiv has a trailing yield of 1.7% on the current share price of CA$76.01. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.
Check out our latest analysis for Ovintiv
Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Ovintiv 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. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Ovintiv generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Luckily it paid out just 11% of its free cash flow last year.
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. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Ovintiv's earnings have collapsed faster than Wile E Coyote's schemes to trap the Road Runner; down a tremendous 39% a year over the past five years.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Ovintiv has seen its dividend decline 13% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see. While it's not great that earnings and dividends per share have fallen in recent years, we're encouraged by the fact that management has trimmed the dividend rather than risk over-committing the company in a risky attempt to maintain yields to shareholders.
The Bottom Line
Is Ovintiv an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Ovintiv has comfortably low cash and profit payout ratios, which may mean the dividend is sustainable even in the face of a sharp decline in earnings per share. Still, we consider declining earnings to be a warning sign. In summary, while it has some positive characteristics, we're not inclined to race out and buy Ovintiv today.
On that note, you'll want to research what risks Ovintiv is facing. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Ovintiv you should be aware of.
Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.
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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.
