Yahoo Finance Why You Might Be Interested In KEMET Corporation (NYSE:KEM) For Its Upcoming Dividend
KEMET Corporation (NYSE:KEM) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 14th of August will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 26th of August.
KEMET's next dividend payment will be US$0.05 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.20 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, KEMET stock has a trailing yield of around 1.0% on the current share price of $19.97. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether KEMET's dividend is reliable and sustainable. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
See our latest analysis for KEMET
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. KEMET is paying out just 4.1% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. It paid out more than half (61%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.
It's positive to see that KEMET'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 fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's encouraging to see KEMET has grown its earnings rapidly, up 55% a year for the past five years.
Unfortunately KEMET has only been paying a dividend for a year or so, so there's not much of a history to draw insight from.
Final Takeaway
Should investors buy KEMET for the upcoming dividend? From a dividend perspective, we're encouraged to see that earnings per share have been growing, the company is paying out less than half of its earnings, and a bit over half its free cash flow. There's a lot to like about KEMET, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.
Curious what other investors think of KEMET? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow .
A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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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. Thank you for reading.
