Manaksia Aluminium Company Limited (NSE:MANAKALUCO) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in three days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be two business days before the record date, which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase Manaksia Aluminium's shares before the 15th of September to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 22nd of October.
The company's upcoming dividend is ₹0.05 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of ₹0.05 per share to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Manaksia Aluminium has a trailing yield of 0.1% on the current share price of ₹37.69. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Manaksia Aluminium has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Manaksia Aluminium is paying out just 4.3% 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. The good news is it paid out just 2.0% of its free cash flow in the last year.
It's positive to see that Manaksia Aluminium'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.
View our latest analysis for Manaksia Aluminium
Click here to see how much of its profit Manaksia Aluminium paid out over the last 12 months.
Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. So we're not too excited that Manaksia Aluminium's earnings are down 4.1% a year over the past five years.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Manaksia Aluminium's dividend payments are broadly unchanged compared to where they were three years ago. When earnings are declining yet the dividends are flat, typically the company is either paying out a higher portion of its earnings, or paying out of cash or debt on the balance sheet, neither of which is ideal.
Is Manaksia Aluminium worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share are down meaningfully, although at least the company is paying out a low and conservative percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's definitely not great to see earnings falling, but at least there may be some buffer before the dividend needs to be cut. To summarise, Manaksia Aluminium looks okay on this analysis, although it doesn't appear a stand-out opportunity.
With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Manaksia Aluminium (2 are potentially serious) 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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.