Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE:LYB) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 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 of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Accordingly, LyondellBasell Industries investors that purchase the stock on or after the 1st of March will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 11th of March.

The company's upcoming dividend is US$1.25 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$5.00 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, LyondellBasell Industries has a trailing yield of approximately 5.0% on its current stock price of US$99.27. 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.

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Its dividend payout ratio is 76% 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. 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. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 47% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

It's positive to see that LyondellBasell Industries'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.

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

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. Readers will understand then, why we're concerned to see LyondellBasell Industries's earnings per share have dropped 12% a year over the past 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. LyondellBasell Industries has delivered 0.5% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years.

The Bottom Line

Is LyondellBasell Industries worth buying for its dividend? We're not enthused by the declining earnings per share, although at least the company's payout ratio is within a reasonable range, meaning it may not be at imminent risk of a dividend cut. To summarise, LyondellBasell Industries looks okay on this analysis, although it doesn't appear a stand-out opportunity.

If you're not too concerned about LyondellBasell Industries's ability to pay dividends, you should still be mindful of some of the other risks that this business faces. For example, we've found 3 warning signs for LyondellBasell Industries that we recommend you consider before investing in the business.

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.