Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in three days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order 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. Accordingly, Levi Strauss investors that purchase the stock on or after the 30th of July will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 18th of August.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.08 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.32 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Levi Strauss has a trailing yield of approximately 1.2% on its current stock price of $26.61. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Levi Strauss has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

Check out our latest analysis for Levi Strauss

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Levi Strauss is paying out just 14% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Luckily it paid out just 7.2% of its free cash flow last year.

It's positive to see that Levi Strauss'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 strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Levi Strauss, with earnings per share up 5.4% on average over the last five years. Earnings per share have been growing at a decent rate, and the company is retaining more than three-quarters of its earnings in the business. If profits are reinvested effectively, this could be a bullish combination for future earnings and dividends.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last two years, Levi Strauss has lifted its dividend by approximately 3.3% a year on average. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.

Final Takeaway

Should investors buy Levi Strauss for the upcoming dividend? Earnings per share have been growing moderately, and Levi Strauss is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow as dividends, which is an attractive combination as it suggests the company is investing in growth. We would prefer to see earnings growing faster, but the best dividend stocks over the long term typically combine significant earnings per share growth with a low payout ratio, and Levi Strauss is halfway there. Overall we think this is an attractive combination and worthy of further research.

So while Levi Strauss looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Our analysis shows 1 warning sign for Levi Strauss and you should be aware of it before buying any shares.

If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

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