MMP Industries Limited (NSE:MMP) Stock Goes Ex-Dividend In Just Three Days

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see MMP Industries Limited (NSE:MMP) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. The ex-dividend date is two business days before a company's record date in most cases, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. 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. Accordingly, MMP Industries investors that purchase the stock on or after the 1st of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 8th of October.

The company's next dividend payment will be ₹2.00 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed ₹2.00 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, MMP Industries has a trailing yield of 0.7% on the current stock price of ₹274.15. 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.

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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. MMP Industries paid out just 13% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. 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. Over the last year it paid out 62% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.

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.

See our latest analysis for MMP Industries

Click here to see how much of its profit MMP Industries 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. 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 MMP Industries earnings per share are up 3.6% per annum over the last five years. Earnings per share growth has been slim, and the company is already paying out a majority of its earnings. While there is some room to both increase the payout ratio and reinvest in the business, generally the higher a payout ratio goes, the lower a company's prospects for future growth.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. MMP Industries has delivered 19% dividend growth per year on average over the past four years. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.

The Bottom Line

Is MMP Industries an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share have been growing at a steady rate, and MMP Industries paid out less than half its profits and more than half its free cash flow as dividends over the last year. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects.

On that note, you'll want to research what risks MMP Industries is facing. To help with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs for MMP Industries that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.

Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.