It looks like Qantas Airways Limited (ASX:QAN) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date generally occurs two days 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 important as the process of settlement involves at least two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase Qantas Airways' shares before the 11th of March to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 16th of April.

The company's upcoming dividend is AU$0.264 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of AU$0.33 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Qantas Airways has a trailing yield of 3.2% on the current stock price of AU$10.19. 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! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

See our latest analysis for Qantas Airways

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Qantas Airways paid out just 20% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances.

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 fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. For this reason, we're glad to see Qantas Airways's earnings per share have risen 11% per annum over the last five years. The company has managed to grow earnings at a rapid rate, while reinvesting most of the profits within the business. This will make it easier to fund future growth efforts and we think this is an attractive combination - plus the dividend can always be increased later.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Qantas Airways has delivered 19% dividend growth per year on average over the past nine years. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see.

Final Takeaway

Has Qantas Airways got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? When companies are growing rapidly and retaining a majority of the profits within the business, it's usually a sign that reinvesting earnings creates more value than paying dividends to shareholders. Perhaps even more importantly - this can sometimes signal management is focused on the long term future of the business. In summary, Qantas Airways appears to have some promise as a dividend stock, and we'd suggest taking a closer look at it.

In light of that, while Qantas Airways has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Qantas Airways you should know about.

A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.