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Here's Why We're Wary Of Buying Hurco Companies' (NASDAQ:HURC) For Its Upcoming Dividend

Readers hoping to buy Hurco Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HURC) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. Thus, you can purchase Hurco Companies' shares before the 24th of September in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 11th of October.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.14 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.56 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Hurco Companies stock has a trailing yield of around 1.8% on the current share price of $30.95. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Hurco Companies's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to investigate whether Hurco Companies can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

View our latest analysis for Hurco Companies

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. An unusually high payout ratio of 334% of its profit suggests something is happening other than the usual distribution of profits to shareholders. 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. The good news is it paid out just 10% of its free cash flow in the last year.

It's disappointing to see that the dividend was not covered by profits, but cash is more important from a dividend sustainability perspective, and Hurco Companies fortunately did generate enough cash to fund its dividend. Still, if the company repeatedly paid a dividend greater than its profits, we'd be concerned. Extraordinarily few companies are capable of persistently paying a dividend that is greater than their profits.

Click here to see how much of its profit Hurco Companies paid out over the last 12 months.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with falling earnings are riskier for dividend shareholders. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. Hurco Companies's earnings per share have plummeted approximately 42% a year over the previous five years.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Hurco Companies has delivered 14% dividend growth per year on average over the past eight years. The only way to pay higher dividends when earnings are shrinking is either to pay out a larger percentage of profits, spend cash from the balance sheet, or borrow the money. Hurco Companies is already paying out 334% of its profits, and with shrinking earnings we think it's unlikely that this dividend will grow quickly in the future.

Final Takeaway

Has Hurco Companies got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? It's never great to see earnings per share declining, especially when a company is paying out 334% of its profit as dividends, which we feel is uncomfortably high. Yet cashflow was much stronger, which makes us wonder if there are some large timing issues in Hurco Companies's cash flows, or perhaps the company has written down some assets aggressively, reducing its income. Overall it doesn't look like the most suitable dividend stock for a long-term buy and hold investor.

Although, if you're still interested in Hurco Companies and want to know more, you'll find it very useful to know what risks this stock faces. For example, we've found 3 warning signs for Hurco Companies (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that deserve your attention before investing in the shares.

A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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