Yahoo Finance Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Is Increasing Its Dividend To $1.29
The board of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of $1.29 on the 15th of November, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 1.7%, which is below the industry average.
Check out our latest analysis for Accenture
Accenture's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable. Based on the last payment, Accenture was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 36.4%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 34% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
Accenture Has A Solid Track Record
The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. Since 2013, the dividend has gone from $1.62 total annually to $5.16. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 12% a year over that time. We can see that payments have shown some very nice upward momentum without faltering, which provides some reassurance that future payments will also be reliable.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. We are encouraged to see that Accenture has grown earnings per share at 11% per year over the past five years. The company is paying a reasonable amount of earnings to shareholders, and is growing earnings at a decent rate so we think it could be a decent dividend stock.
We Really Like Accenture's Dividend
In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 24 analysts we track are forecasting for Accenture for free with public analyst estimates for the company. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
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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.
