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Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase Devon Energy's shares before the 14th of June to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of June.
The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.72 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$4.55 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Devon Energy has a trailing yield of 9.1% on the current stock price of $50.02. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.
See our latest analysis for Devon Energy
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. Devon Energy is paying out an acceptable 55% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Devon Energy generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It paid out 17% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.
It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. 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 Devon Energy's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 47% per annum for the past five years. Management appears to be striking a nice balance between reinvesting for growth and paying dividends to shareholders. Earnings per share have been growing quickly and in combination with some reinvestment and a middling payout ratio, the stock may have decent dividend prospects going forwards.