Be Sure To Check Out Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend

NYSE:TSN) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. You will need to purchase shares before the 31st of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of September.” data-reactid=”28″>Readers hoping to buy Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. You will need to purchase shares before the 31st of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of September.

Tyson Foods’s next dividend payment will be US$0.42 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$1.68 to shareholders. Based on the last year’s worth of payments, Tyson Foods stock has a trailing yield of around 2.6% on the current share price of $63.54. 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! That’s why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

View our latest analysis for Tyson Foods ” data-reactid=”30″> View our latest analysis for Tyson Foods

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Fortunately Tyson Foods’s payout ratio is modest, at just 33% of profit. 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. Luckily it paid out just 23% of its free cash flow last year.

It’s positive to see that Tyson Foods’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.

here to see the company’s payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.” data-reactid=”37″>Click here to see the company’s payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

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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 earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. Fortunately for readers, Tyson Foods’s earnings per share have been growing at 15% a year for the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing rapidly and the company is retaining a majority of its earnings within the business. Fast-growing businesses that are reinvesting heavily are enticing from a dividend perspective, especially since they can often increase the payout ratio later.

Another key way to measure a company’s dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Tyson Foods has lifted its dividend by approximately 27% 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.

To Sum It Up

Has Tyson Foods got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? We love that Tyson Foods is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. It’s a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.