WaFd, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAFD) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. 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. Therefore, if you purchase WaFd's shares on or after the 23rd of August, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 6th of September.

The company's upcoming dividend is US$0.26 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$1.04 per share to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that WaFd has a trailing yield of 3.0% on the current share price of US$34.67. 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.

View our latest analysis for WaFd

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. WaFd has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 10% of its income after tax.

When a company paid out less in dividends than it earned in profit, this generally suggests its dividend is affordable. The lower the % of its profit that it pays out, the greater the margin of safety for the dividend if the business enters a downturn.

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

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. So we're not too excited that WaFd's earnings are down 2.2% a year over the past five years.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. WaFd has delivered an average of 10% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy WaFd for the upcoming dividend? Earnings per share have shrunk noticeably in recent years, although we like that the company has a low payout ratio. This could suggest a cut to the dividend may not be a major risk in the near future. At best we would put it on a watch-list to see if business conditions improve, as it doesn't look like a clear opportunity right now.

If you're not too concerned about WaFd's ability to pay dividends, you should still be mindful of some of the other risks that this business faces. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for WaFd you should know about.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top 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.