It looks like Gujarat Gas Limited (NSE:GUJGAS) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 2 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 12th of September in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 20th of October.
Gujarat Gas's next dividend payment will be ₹1.00 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of ₹1.00 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Gujarat Gas has a trailing yield of approximately 0.6% on its current stock price of ₹173. 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 Gujarat Gas can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
See our latest analysis for Gujarat Gas
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. Gujarat Gas paid out just 13% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. 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 13% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.
It's positive to see that Gujarat Gas'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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. That's why it's comforting to see Gujarat Gas's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 80% per annum for the past five years. Gujarat Gas looks like a real growth company, with earnings per share growing at a cracking pace and the company reinvesting most of its profits in the business.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the past 3 years, Gujarat Gas has increased its dividend at approximately 26% a year on average. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.