Readers hoping to buy Comerica Incorporated (NYSE:CMA) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. 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 an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. Therefore, if you purchase Comerica's shares on or after the 14th of March, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 1st of April.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.71 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$2.84 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Comerica has a trailing yield of approximately 5.4% on its current stock price of US$52.69. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether Comerica can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

See our latest analysis for Comerica

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Fortunately Comerica's payout ratio is modest, at just 44% of profit.

Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.

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

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. So we're not too excited that Comerica's earnings are down 2.5% a year over 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. In the last 10 years, Comerica has lifted its dividend by approximately 15% a year on average.

To Sum It Up

Has Comerica got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Earnings per share have shrunk noticeably in recent years, although we like that the company has a low payout ratio. This could suggest a cut to the dividend may not be a major risk in the near future. We think there are likely better opportunities out there.