Kainos Group plc (LON:KNOS) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A Dividend

It looks like Kainos Group plc (LON:KNOS) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 26th of September will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 25th of October.

Kainos Group's next dividend payment will be UK£0.07 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of UK£0.09 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Kainos Group stock has a trailing yield of around 2.1% on the current share price of £4.42. 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! So we need to investigate whether Kainos Group can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

See our latest analysis for Kainos Group

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. Kainos Group paid out more than half (65%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. 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. It distributed 43% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.

It's positive to see that Kainos Group's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

LSE:KNOS Historical Dividend Yield, September 22nd 2019
LSE:KNOS Historical Dividend Yield, September 22nd 2019

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. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That's why it's comforting to see Kainos Group's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 22% per annum for the past five years. Management appears to be striking a nice balance between reinvesting for growth and paying dividends to shareholders. With a reasonable payout ratio, profits being reinvested, and some earnings growth, Kainos Group could have strong prospects for future increases to the dividend.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, four years ago, Kainos Group has lifted its dividend by approximately 27% a year on average. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy Kainos Group for the upcoming dividend? We like Kainos Group's growing earnings per share and the fact that - while its payout ratio is around average - it paid out a lower percentage of its cash flow. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.

Curious what other investors think of Kainos Group? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow.

If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.