It Might Not Be A Great Idea To Buy Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) For Its Next Dividend

Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in four days. Investors can purchase shares before the 8th of July in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 23rd of July.

Trinseo's next dividend payment will be US$0.40 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.60 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Trinseo has a trailing yield of 7.1% on the current share price of $22.51. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

Check out our latest analysis for Trinseo

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. Trinseo paid out a disturbingly high 318% of its profit as dividends last year, which makes us concerned there's something we don't fully understand in the business. 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. Trinseo paid out more free cash flow than it generated - 119%, to be precise - last year, which we think is concerningly high. We're curious about why the company paid out more cash than it generated last year, since this can be one of the early signs that a dividend may be unsustainable.

As Trinseo's dividend was not well covered by either earnings or cash flow, we would be concerned that this dividend could be at risk over the long term.

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

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Trinseo earnings per share are up 8.6% per annum over the last five years. Earnings per share have been growing steadily, although a payout ratio this high suggests future growth is likely to slow, and the dividend may also be at risk of a cut if business enters a downturn.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the past four years, Trinseo has increased its dividend at approximately 7.5% 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.

The Bottom Line

Has Trinseo got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Trinseo is paying out an uncomfortably high percentage of both earnings and cash flow as dividends, although at least earnings per share are growing somewhat. With the way things are shaping up from a dividend perspective, we'd be inclined to steer clear of Trinseo.

With that in mind though, if the poor dividend characteristics of Trinseo don't faze you, it's worth being mindful of the risks involved with this business. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for Trinseo (1 is a bit unpleasant) you should be aware of.

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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