It looks like Evolution AB (publ) (STO:EVO) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is two business days 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. In other words, investors can purchase Evolution's shares before the 6th of May in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 12th of May.

The company's upcoming dividend is €2.80 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of €2.80 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Evolution stock has a trailing yield of around 4.6% on the current share price of kr0674.20. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. That's why it's good to see Evolution paying out a modest 47% of its earnings. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Evolution generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. It distributed 48% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.

It's positive to see that Evolution'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.

OM:EVO Historic Dividend May 1st 2025

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's encouraging to see Evolution has grown its earnings rapidly, up 49% a year for the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing very quickly, and the company is paying out a relatively low percentage of its profit and cash flow. This is a very favourable combination that can often lead to the dividend multiplying over the long term, if earnings grow and the company pays out a higher percentage of its earnings.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the past nine years, Evolution has increased its dividend at approximately 52% a year on average. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.

Final Takeaway

Is Evolution worth buying for its dividend? We love that Evolution is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.