James River Group Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ:JRVR) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days time. You will need to purchase shares before the 13th of March to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 31st of March.
James River Group Holdings’s next dividend payment will be US$0.30 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$1.20 to shareholders. Based on the last year’s worth of payments, James River Group Holdings has a trailing yield of 2.8% on the current stock price of $42.31. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it’s also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn’t going to kill our golden goose! So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.
See our latest analysis for James River Group Holdings
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. Last year, James River Group Holdings paid out 95% of its income as dividends, which is above a level that we’re comfortable with, especially if the company needs to reinvest in its business.
When a company pays out a dividend that is not well covered by profits, the dividend is generally seen as more vulnerable to being cut.
Click here to see the company’s payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
NasdaqGS:JRVR Historical Dividend Yield, March 8th 2020
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That’s why it’s not ideal to see James River Group Holdings’s earnings per share have been shrinking at 4.2% a year over the previous five years.
The main way most investors will assess a company’s dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. James River Group Holdings has delivered 13% dividend growth per year on average over the past five years. The only way to pay higher dividends when earnings are shrinking is either to pay out a larger percentage of profits, spend cash from the balance sheet, or borrow the money. James River Group Holdings is already paying out 95% of its profits, and with shrinking earnings we think it’s unlikely that this dividend will grow quickly in the future.
To Sum It Up
Has James River Group Holdings got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Earnings per share are in decline and James River Group Holdings is paying out what we feel is an uncomfortably high percentage of its profit as dividends. Generally we think dividend investors should avoid businesses in this situation, as high payout ratios and declining earnings can lead to the dividend being cut. All things considered, we’re not optimistic about its dividend prospects, and would be inclined to leave it on the shelf for now.
With that being said, if you’re still considering James River Group Holdings as an investment, you’ll find it beneficial to know what risks this stock is facing. To help with this, we’ve discovered 2 warning signs for James River Group Holdings that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.
A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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