Univest Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:UVSP) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled 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. This means that investors who purchase Univest Financial's shares on or after the 7th of November will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 22nd of November.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.21 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.84 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Univest Financial has a trailing yield of 5.0% on the current stock price of $16.67. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Univest Financial's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether Univest Financial has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Univest Financial

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. That's why it's good to see Univest Financial paying out a modest 31% of its earnings.

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?

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 earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Fortunately for readers, Univest Financial's earnings per share have been growing at 10% a year for the past five years.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. It looks like the Univest Financial dividends are largely the same as they were 10 years ago.

Final Takeaway

Is Univest Financial worth buying for its dividend? Companies like Univest Financial that are growing rapidly and paying out a low fraction of earnings, are usually reinvesting heavily in their business. Perhaps even more importantly - this can sometimes signal management is focused on the long term future of the business. Univest Financial 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.

On that note, you'll want to research what risks Univest Financial is facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Univest Financial you should know about.

Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.

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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.