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Expeditors International of Washington (NASDAQ:EXPD) Could Be A Buy For Its Upcoming Dividend

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPD) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four 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. 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. Therefore, if you purchase Expeditors International of Washington's shares on or after the 30th of November, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 15th of December.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.58 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.16 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Expeditors International of Washington has a trailing yield of 0.9% on the current share price of $126.93. 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! As a result, readers should always check whether Expeditors International of Washington has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

View our latest analysis for Expeditors International of Washington

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Expeditors International of Washington has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 16% of its income after tax. 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. Fortunately, it paid out only 28% of its free cash flow in the past 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.

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historic-dividend

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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. It's encouraging to see Expeditors International of Washington has grown its earnings rapidly, up 23% a year for the past five years. Expeditors International of Washington is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow, while simultaneously growing earnings per share at a rapid clip. This is a very favourable combination that can often lead to the dividend multiplying over the long term, if earnings grow and the company pays out a higher percentage of its earnings.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Expeditors International of Washington has delivered 8.8% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 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 Expeditors International of Washington worth buying for its dividend? Expeditors International of Washington has been growing earnings at a rapid rate, and has a conservatively low payout ratio, implying that it is reinvesting heavily in its business; a sterling combination. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.

While it's tempting to invest in Expeditors International of Washington for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Expeditors International of Washington (including 2 which shouldn't be ignored).

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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