EPS of $5.00, dividend of $2.00 per share → 40% payout ratio.
Interpretive bands
< 30%
Plenty of cushion. Dividend safe even in a 30% earnings drop.
30 – 60%
Healthy range — balancing reinvestment and dividend.
60 – 80%
Higher risk — earnings drop could force a cut.
> 80%
Stretched. The company is paying out almost everything; any earnings hit threatens the dividend.
> 100%
Unsustainable. Paying more than it earns — usually funded by debt or cash reserves.
How IndexAlpha uses Dividend Payout Ratio
A key input to the Dividend Quality Index. IndexAlpha flags payout ratios above 80% as elevated risk.
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