Interested In Bioventix PLC (LON:BVXP)’s Upcoming 1.0% Dividend? You Have 3 Days Left

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Bioventix PLC (LON:BVXP) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. You can purchase shares before the 9th of April in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 28th of April.

Bioventix's upcoming dividend is UK£0.36 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of UK£1.20 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Bioventix has a trailing yield of 3.4% on the current stock price of £37.4. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Bioventix's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to investigate whether Bioventix can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

See our latest analysis for Bioventix

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. Bioventix paid out 61% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. 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. Over the last year it paid out 51% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.

It's positive to see that Bioventix'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 how much of its profit Bioventix paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. It's encouraging to see Bioventix has grown its earnings rapidly, up 29% a year for the past five years. The current payout ratio suggests a good balance between rewarding shareholders with dividends, and reinvesting in growth. Earnings per share have been growing quickly and in combination with some reinvestment and a middling payout ratio, the stock may have decent dividend prospects going forwards.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last ten years, Bioventix has lifted its dividend by approximately 27% 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.

The Bottom Line

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Bioventix? Higher earnings per share generally lead to higher dividends from dividend-paying stocks over the long run. However, we'd also note that Bioventix is paying out more than half of its earnings and cash flow as profits, which could limit the dividend growth if earnings growth slows. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects.

In light of that, while Bioventix has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Bioventix and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.