Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that CRH plc (ISE:CRG) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 5th of September in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 25th of September.

CRH's upcoming dividend is €0.20 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of €0.72 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, CRH has a trailing yield of approximately 2.4% on its current stock price of €30.28. 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 CRH can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

Check out our latest analysis for CRH

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. That's why it's good to see CRH paying out a modest 37% of its earnings. 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. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 48% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

It's positive to see that CRH'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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's encouraging to see CRH has grown its earnings rapidly, up 30% a year for the past five years. CRH is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow, while simultaneously growing earnings per share at a rapid clip. Companies with growing earnings and low payout ratios are often the best long-term dividend stocks, as the company can both grow its earnings and increase the percentage of earnings that it pays out, essentially multiplying the dividend.