Readers hoping to buy Ingersoll-Rand Plc (NYSE:IR) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. Investors can purchase shares before the 5th of September in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of September.

Ingersoll-Rand's next dividend payment will be US$0.53 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$2.12 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Ingersoll-Rand has a trailing yield of approximately 1.8% on its current stock price of $121.09. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

See our latest analysis for Ingersoll-Rand

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. Fortunately Ingersoll-Rand's payout ratio is modest, at just 36% of profit. 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 47% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

It's positive to see that Ingersoll-Rand'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. It's encouraging to see Ingersoll-Rand has grown its earnings rapidly, up 23% a year for the past five years. Ingersoll-Rand 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.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last 10 years, Ingersoll-Rand has lifted its dividend by approximately 11% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.