Dividend Value Builder Newsletter
Dividend Payout Ratio vs. Cash Dividend Payout Ratio
In this post we are comparing the Dividend Payout Ratio and the Cash Dividend Payout Ratio in order to find out which is better at providing pertinent information to differentiate between dividend paying companies.
Dividend Payout Ratios provide us valuable information on how much money a company is returning to shareholders including their ability to pay and increase the dividend. One of these ratios is far superior to the other.
Dividends
Investors seek dividends because they provide value today. Dividends are real, they can’t be faked or brought about by accounting fraud. Dividends provide an indication of the health of a company, especially in the long run.
Dividend paying companies make decisions based on priorities and needs of the company. They have several options including returning money to shareholders, reinvesting for growth, paying off debt, or increasing cash balances. We’re going to compare two dividend ratios and how they succeed or fail in providing us the best information to make wise investment choices.
These ratios that give us critical information when analyzing companies and their dividends.
Payout Ratio
This tells us how much of the company’s accounting profits are being given back to shareholders in the form of dividends. This is the most often used and quoted ratio.
Payout Ratio Calculation
Payout ratio = Total Dividends Paid / Net Income
or
Payout ratio = Dividends Per Share (Common and Preferred) / Earning Per Share (EPS)
A consistently high payout ratio may mean the company doesn’t have favorable places to invest its money for future growth of earnings and dividends. It may also mean the dividend is not as secure as a dividend of a company with a low payout ratio.
This metric should be analyzed in conjunction with the dividend yield. When considering just these two metrics, a high dividend yield and a low payout ratio would be the optimum. A low dividend yield and a high payout ratio would likely be a less attractive investment.
Cash Dividend Payout Ratio
The Cash Dividend Payout Ratio is harder to find (or calculate) and is most likely the reason it’s not used nearly as much as the Dividend Payout Ratio. The difference between the two ratios is larger than one might first guess given the small difference in the name. However, they are quite different; the main difference being that the Cash Dividend Payout Ratio concentrates on what is critical to paying the dividend: Cash Available!
Interested in Dividends?
Cash Dividend Payout Ratio Calculation
Cash Dividend Payout Ratio = Common Stock Dividends / (Cash Flow from Operations – Capital Expenditures – Preferred Dividend Paid)
The Cash Dividend Payout Ratio provides a much better analysis of the safety and ability of a company to carry on its business AND pay its dividend. Why?
First of all, starting with Cash Flow from Operations means that you have a number that can’t be manipulated as often net income is. This is the actual cash generated from the operations of the business. Where do dividends come from? cash flow; not some number contrived from lots of accounting rules (net income).
Then we subtract the amount the company needed for investing in the future (capital expenditures). A forward looking company isn’t going to pay dividends until the capital required to meet future investing needs is secured. Therefore it makes sense to subtract this from Cash Flow from Operations. Next, we subtract any preferred dividends because they usually have to be paid before a common stock dividend is paid.
What is left would be available for dividends if the company chooses. The dividend divided by this number results in the Cash Dividend Payout.
Which Dividend Payout Ratio is Better?
For review:
Cash Dividend Payout Ratio = Common Stock Dividends Paid / (Cash Flow from Operations – Capital Expenditures – Preferred Dividend Paid)
This is a MUCH better ratio than the more simple payout ratio most investors use. It’s most likely because of its simplicity that the Payout Ratio is more popular.
For those investors looking for a simple and easily found metric the Payout Ratio might be acceptable. However, there is no contest on which ratio provides a better analysis of whether a company has the ability to pay and possibly increase its dividend.
The Cash Dividend Payout Ratio uses cash flow instead of earnings that can be manipulated. It takes into account the capital needed to fund capital expenditures and preferred dividends, both of which would need to be paid before a dividend is paid.
The Cash Dividend Payout Ratio is far superior to the more popular Dividend Payout Ratio for analyzing the quality of a company’s dividend.
Additional Reading:
Intrinsic Value Stock Analysis – My Formula
Minimize Large Portfolio Drawdowns
Invest With Confidence in Less Time - Manage Your Portfolio Without Behavioral Errors