It looks like Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE) is about to go ex-dividend in the next two days.  The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend.  The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date.   Thus, you can purchase Hewlett Packard Enterprise's shares before the 18th of June in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 18th of July.  

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.13 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.52 per share.  Last year's total dividend payments show that Hewlett Packard Enterprise has a trailing yield of 2.4% on the current share price of US$21.60.    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!  We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

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.   Fortunately Hewlett Packard Enterprise's payout ratio is modest, at just 36% of profit.     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.     What's good is that dividends were well covered by free cash flow, with the company paying out 22% of its cash flow last year.    

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.

NYSE:HPE Historic Dividend June 15th 2024

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks with flat earnings can still be attractive dividend payers, but it is important to be more conservative with your approach and demand a greater margin for safety when it comes to dividend sustainability.   If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously.     With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Hewlett Packard Enterprise's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years.  It's better than seeing them drop, certainly, but over the long term, all of the best dividend stocks are able to meaningfully grow their earnings per share.        Recent earnings growth has been limited.  However, companies that see their growth slow can often choose to pay out a greater percentage of earnings to shareholders, which could see the dividend continue to rise.    

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time.     Hewlett Packard Enterprise has delivered 10% dividend growth per year on average over the past nine years.    

Final Takeaway

Has Hewlett Packard Enterprise got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments?      Earnings per share have been flat over this time, but we're intrigued to see that Hewlett Packard Enterprise is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow as dividends. This is interesting for a few reasons, as it suggests management may be reinvesting heavily in the business, but it also provides room to increase the dividend in time.  We would prefer to see earnings growing faster, but the best dividend stocks over the long term typically combine strong earnings per share growth with a low payout ratio, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise is halfway there.         It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.  

So while Hewlett Packard Enterprise looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock.     Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Hewlett Packard Enterprise you should know about.  

A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield dividend stocks.

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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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