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Readers hoping to buy Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (TSE:BAM.A) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. 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 of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Accordingly, Brookfield Asset Management investors that purchase the stock on or after the 29th of November will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 31st of December.
The company's upcoming dividend is US$0.13 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.52 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Brookfield Asset Management has a trailing yield of 0.9% on the current stock price of CA$74.11. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to investigate whether Brookfield Asset Management can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
View our latest analysis for Brookfield Asset Management
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. Brookfield Asset Management has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 23% of its income after tax.
Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Brookfield Asset Management earnings per share are up 6.7% per annum over the last five years.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Brookfield Asset Management has delivered an average of 8.5% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.