Yahoo Finance Three Days Left To Buy PetMed Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:PETS) Before The Ex-Dividend Date
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see PetMed Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:PETS) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 13th of May will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 21st of May.
PetMed Express's next dividend payment will be US$0.30 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$1.20 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, PetMed Express stock has a trailing yield of around 4.1% on the current share price of $29.58. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether PetMed Express's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether PetMed Express has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
See our latest analysis for PetMed Express
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. PetMed Express paid out more than half (73%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether PetMed Express 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 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 strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. This is why it's a relief to see PetMed Express earnings per share are up 8.3% per annum over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests PetMed Express has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. Therefore it's unlikely that the company will be able to reinvest heavily in its business, which could presage slower growth in the future.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the past 10 years, PetMed Express has increased its dividend at approximately 9.1% 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
Is PetMed Express an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share growth has been unremarkable, and while the company is paying out a majority of its earnings and cash flow in the form of dividends, the dividend payments don't appear excessive. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects.
With that being said, if dividends aren't your biggest concern with PetMed Express, you should know about the other risks facing this business. For example - PetMed Express has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.
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.
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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