Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. In other words, investors can purchase Artisan Partners Asset Management's shares before the 16th of August in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of August.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.71 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$2.99 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Artisan Partners Asset Management has a trailing yield of approximately 7.6% on its current stock price of US$39.10. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

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. Its dividend payout ratio is 79% of profit, which means the company is paying out a majority of its earnings. The relatively limited profit reinvestment could slow the rate of future earnings growth. We'd be concerned if earnings began to decline.

Generally speaking, the lower a company's payout ratios, the more resilient its dividend usually is.

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

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Artisan Partners Asset Management's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years. We'd take that over an earnings decline any day, but in the long run, the best dividend stocks all grow their earnings per share.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last 10 years, Artisan Partners Asset Management has lifted its dividend by approximately 5.7% a year on average.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy Artisan Partners Asset Management for the upcoming dividend? Artisan Partners Asset Management has been struggling to generate growth while also paying out more than half of its earnings to shareholders as dividends. We're unconvinced on the company's merits, and think there might be better opportunities out there.

So if you want to do more digging on Artisan Partners Asset Management, you'll find it worthwhile knowing the risks that this stock faces. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 2 warning signs with Artisan Partners Asset Management and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield 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.