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Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC (AMS:CCEP) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. 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. 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. Therefore, if you purchase Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' shares on or after the 9th of May, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 23rd of May.
The company's next dividend payment will be €0.74 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of €1.84 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners stock has a trailing yield of around 2.8% on the current share price of €66.60. 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! As a result, readers should always check whether Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
View our latest analysis for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners paid out 51% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Coca-Cola Europacific Partners generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 41% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.
It's positive to see that Coca-Cola Europacific Partners'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?
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. Fortunately for readers, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners's earnings per share have been growing at 14% a year for the past five years. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is paying out a bit over half its earnings, which suggests the company is striking a balance between reinvesting in growth, and paying dividends. Given the quick rate of earnings per share growth and current level of payout, there may be a chance of further dividend increases in the future.