It looks like NACCO Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NC) is about to go ex-dividend in the next four 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. 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, NACCO Industries investors that purchase the stock on or after the 29th of November will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of December.

The company's upcoming dividend is US$0.22 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.87 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, NACCO Industries has a trailing yield of 2.5% on the current stock price of $34.64. 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 check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

View our latest analysis for NACCO Industries

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. NACCO Industries paid out a comfortable 35% of its profit last year. 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. Luckily it paid out just 25% of its free cash flow last year.

It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.

Click here to see how much of its profit NACCO Industries paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. NACCO Industries's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 10% a year over the previous five years. Such a sharp decline casts doubt on the future sustainability of the dividend.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. NACCO Industries has seen its dividend decline 1.4% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see.

To Sum It Up

Has NACCO Industries got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? NACCO Industries has comfortably low cash and profit payout ratios, which may mean the dividend is sustainable even in the face of a sharp decline in earnings per share. Still, we consider declining earnings to be a warning sign. In summary, it's hard to get excited about NACCO Industries from a dividend perspective.

In light of that, while NACCO Industries has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for NACCO Industries you should be aware of.

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.