Readers hoping to buy Kolte-Patil Developers Limited (NSE:KOLTEPATIL) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 12th of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 21st of October.

Kolte-Patil Developers's next dividend payment will be ₹1.00 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of ₹2.00 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Kolte-Patil Developers has a trailing yield of 0.9% on the current stock price of ₹233.35. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Kolte-Patil Developers has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Kolte-Patil Developers

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. Kolte-Patil Developers is paying out just 12% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It distributed 32% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.

It's positive to see that Kolte-Patil Developers'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 how much of its profit Kolte-Patil Developers paid out over the last 12 months.

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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. For this reason, we're glad to see Kolte-Patil Developers's earnings per share have risen 11% per annum over the last five years. The company has managed to grow earnings at a rapid rate, while reinvesting most of the profits within the business. This will make it easier to fund future growth efforts and we think this is an attractive combination - plus the dividend can always be increased later.