In This Article:
Bytes Technology Group plc (LON:BYIT) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. In other words, investors can purchase Bytes Technology Group's shares before the 16th of November in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 1st of December.
The company's upcoming dividend is UK£0.027 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of UK£0.15 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Bytes Technology Group has a trailing yield of 3.0% on the current stock price of £5.12. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Bytes Technology Group's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
See our latest analysis for Bytes Technology Group
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. That's why it's good to see Bytes Technology Group paying out a modest 42% of its earnings. 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 (65%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.
It's positive to see that Bytes Technology Group'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. That's why it's comforting to see Bytes Technology Group's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 21% per annum for the past five years.