Globe Life (NYSE:GL) Could Be A Buy For Its Upcoming Dividend

Globe Life Inc. (NYSE:GL) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 2 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 2nd of July, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 31st of July.

Globe Life's upcoming dividend is US$0.19 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.75 per share to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Globe Life has a trailing yield of 1.1% on the current share price of $70.85. 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 investigate whether Globe Life can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

View our latest analysis for Globe Life

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. Globe Life has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 10% of its income after tax.

When a company paid out less in dividends than it earned in profit, this generally suggests its dividend is affordable. The lower the % of its profit that it pays out, the greater the margin of safety for the dividend if the business enters a downturn.

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

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. Fortunately for readers, Globe Life's earnings per share have been growing at 11% a year for the past five years.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Globe Life has delivered an average of 12% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past ten years of dividend payments. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.

To Sum It Up

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Globe Life? Companies like Globe Life that are growing rapidly and paying out a low fraction of earnings, are usually reinvesting heavily in their business. This is one of the most attractive investment combinations under this analysis, as it can create substantial value for investors over the long run. In summary, Globe Life appears to have some promise as a dividend stock, and we'd suggest taking a closer look at it.

Curious what other investors think of Globe Life? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting 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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