Three reasons why this mid-cap dividend looks good

Regular dividend payouts are a major part of the total return you get from shares over time. But with so many ways of assessing dividends - and so many potential traps - it's important to focus on the most useful measures.

With economic conditions more uncertain than usual, dividends are highly desirable. But it's also true that these payouts are the first thing to get cut when companies face an unpredictable future.

To help you find the best dividends possible, there are a few key measures to remember. Let's take a look at Eagers Automotive (ASX:APE) as an example of how this works.

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1. High (but not excessive) dividend yield

Yield is an important dividend metric because it tells you the percentage of how much a company pays out in dividends each year relative to its share price. That makes it easy to compare dividend payouts right across the market.

High yields are obviously appealing but be careful of excessively high yields (usually above 10%) because they can be a sign of problems. When the market suspects a company may be unable to sustain its dividend, the share price will fall and actually push the yield higher - and this can be a trap. So it pays to be wary of excessive yields.

• Eagers Automotive has a dividend yield of 6.22%.

2. Dividend growth

Another important marker for income investors is a track record of dividend growth - and evidence that the growth will continue. Consistent dividend growth can be a pointer to companies that are carefully managing their payout policies - and rewarding their shareholders over time. Rather than aggressively dishing out earnings, dividend growth companies tend to have more modest yields, but are better at sustaining their payouts.

• Eagers Automotive has increased its dividend payout 7 times over the past 10 years - and the dividend per share is forecast to grow by 2.72% in the coming year.

3. Dividend safety

Attractively high yields obviously turn heads - but it’s important to know that a dividend is affordable. Dividend Cover (similar to the payout ratio) is a go-to measure of a company's net income over the dividend paid to shareholders. It’s calculated as earnings per share divided by the dividend per share and helps to indicate how sustainable a dividend is.

Dividend cover of less than 1x suggests that the company can’t fund the payout from its current year earnings - and might be relying on other sources of funds to pay it.

• Eagers Automotive has dividend cover of 1.59.

What does this mean for potential investors?

Yield, Growth and Safety are the three main pillars that support some of the most popular dividend investing strategies. But it's important to know that dividend payouts can be cut or cancelled very quickly when the outlook changes.

To get a fuller understanding of the dividend prospects for any stock, it's important to do some investigation yourself. Indeed, we've identified areas of concern with Eagers Automotive that you can find out about here.