Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see RATIONAL Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:RAA) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. Accordingly, RATIONAL investors that purchase the stock on or after the 9th of May will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 13th of May.

The company's next dividend payment will be €13.50 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of €13.50 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that RATIONAL has a trailing yield of 1.7% on the current share price of €803.00. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether RATIONAL's dividend is reliable and sustainable. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

See our latest analysis for RATIONAL

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. RATIONAL paid out more than half (71%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. 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. Over the last year it paid out 60% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.

It's positive to see that RATIONAL'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?

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 RATIONAL earnings per share are up 7.0% per annum over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests RATIONAL has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. Therefore it's unlikely that the company will be able to reinvest heavily in its business, which could presage slower growth in the future.