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Should Income Investors Look At Total Energy Services Inc. (TSE:TOT) Before Its Ex-Dividend?

Total Energy Services Inc. (TSE:TOT) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase Total Energy Services' shares before the 28th of September to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 17th of October.

The company's upcoming dividend is CA$0.06 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of CA$0.24 per share to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Total Energy Services has a trailing yield of 3.7% on the current share price of CA$6.43. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether Total Energy Services can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

View our latest analysis for Total Energy Services

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. Total Energy Services paid out just 19% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances.

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?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. Total Energy Services's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 13% a year over the previous five years. Such a sharp decline casts doubt on the future sustainability of the dividend.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, Total Energy Services has lifted its dividend by approximately 4.1% a year on average.

To Sum It Up

Is Total Energy Services an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Total Energy Services's earnings per share are down over the past five years, although it has the cushion of a low payout ratio, which would suggest a cut to the dividend is relatively unlikely. Total Energy Services ticks a lot of boxes for us from a dividend perspective, and we think these characteristics should mark the company as deserving of further attention.

While it's tempting to invest in Total Energy Services for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Total Energy Services 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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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