Yahoo Finance Adbri's (ASX:ABC) Dividend Will Be Increased To AU$0.055
Adbri Limited (ASX:ABC) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 6th of October to AU$0.055. This makes the dividend yield 3.7%, which is above the industry average.
View our latest analysis for Adbri
Adbri's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, Adbri's dividend was only 69% of earnings, however it was paying out 99% of free cash flows. While the company may be more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business at this time, we think that a cash payout ratio this high might expose the dividend to being cut if the business ran into some challenges.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 7.6% over the next year. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 68%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future.
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least 1 cut in the last 10 years. Since 2011, the first annual payment was AU$0.17, compared to the most recent full-year payment of AU$0.13. The dividend has shrunk at around 2.5% a year during that period. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.
Dividend Growth Is Doubtful
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. It's not great to see that Adbri's earnings per share has fallen at approximately 9.9% per year over the past five years. Declining earnings will inevitably lead to the company paying a lower dividend in line with lower profits.
The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable
Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While Adbri is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We don't think Adbri is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.
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. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Adbri that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.
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.
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