Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RYAN) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves a full business day. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. Therefore, if you purchase Ryan Specialty Holdings' shares on or after the 24th of February, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 10th of March.

The company's upcoming dividend is US$0.13 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.52 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Ryan Specialty Holdings has a trailing yield of approximately 1.3% on its current stock price of US$40.35. 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 check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

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. Last year, Ryan Specialty Holdings paid out 96% of its income as dividends, which is above a level that we're comfortable with, especially if the company needs to reinvest in its business.

When a company pays out a dividend that is not well covered by profits, the dividend is generally seen as more vulnerable to being cut.

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. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's encouraging to see Ryan Specialty Holdings has grown its earnings rapidly, up 41% a year for the past five years.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Ryan Specialty Holdings has delivered an average of 8.7% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past two years of dividend payments. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

The Bottom Line

Is Ryan Specialty Holdings worth buying for its dividend? It's been growing earnings per share at a pleasant rate, although its dividend payout was not well covered by earnings. 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 on the fence about its dividend prospects.

With that being said, if dividends aren't your biggest concern with Ryan Specialty Holdings, you should know about the other risks facing this business.

Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.

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.