Korea Electric Terminal Co., Ltd. (KRX:025540) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A Dividend

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Korea Electric Terminal Co., Ltd. (KRX:025540) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. The ex-dividend date is two business days before a company's record date in most cases, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a 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. Accordingly, Korea Electric Terminal investors that purchase the stock on or after the 28th of August will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 11th of September.

The company's next dividend payment will be ₩1000.00 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of ₩3,200 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Korea Electric Terminal has a trailing yield of 5.9% on the current share price of ₩54500.00. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Korea Electric Terminal's dividend is reliable and sustainable. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

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Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Fortunately Korea Electric Terminal's payout ratio is modest, at just 27% of profit. 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. It paid out 21% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.

It's positive to see that Korea Electric Terminal'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.

Check out our latest analysis for Korea Electric Terminal

Click here to see how much of its profit Korea Electric Terminal paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. For this reason, we're glad to see Korea Electric Terminal's earnings per share have risen 17% per annum over the last five years. The company has managed to grow earnings at a rapid rate, while reinvesting most of the profits within the business. This will make it easier to fund future growth efforts and we think this is an attractive combination - plus the dividend can always be increased later.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Korea Electric Terminal has delivered an average of 24% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past seven years of dividend payments. 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

Is Korea Electric Terminal worth buying for its dividend? Korea Electric Terminal has grown its earnings per share while simultaneously reinvesting in the business. Unfortunately it's cut the dividend at least once in the past seven years, but the conservative payout ratio makes the current dividend look sustainable. There's a lot to like about Korea Electric Terminal, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.

In light of that, while Korea Electric Terminal has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Korea Electric Terminal you should be aware of.

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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.