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Quebecor Inc. (TSE:QBR.A) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be two business days before the record date, which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the 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. This means that investors who purchase Quebecor's shares on or after the 23rd of May will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 17th of June.
The company's next dividend payment will be CA$0.35 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of CA$1.40 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Quebecor has a trailing yield of approximately 3.6% on its current stock price of CA$39.04. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Quebecor's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
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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. That's why it's good to see Quebecor paying out a modest 40% 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. Fortunately, it paid out only 34% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's positive to see that Quebecor'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.
View our latest analysis for Quebecor
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. This is why it's a relief to see Quebecor earnings per share are up 8.9% per annum over the last five years. Management have been reinvested more than half of the company's earnings within the business, and the company has been able to grow earnings with this retained capital. We think this is generally an attractive combination, as dividends can grow through a combination of earnings growth and or a higher payout ratio over time.