Yahoo Finance Altra Industrial Motion's (NASDAQ:AIMC) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year
Altra Industrial Motion Corp. (NASDAQ:AIMC) will increase its dividend on the 6th of July to US$0.09. This takes the annual payment to 0.8% of the current stock price, which unfortunately is below what the industry is paying.
View our latest analysis for Altra Industrial Motion
Altra Industrial Motion's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions
While yield is important, another factor to consider about a company's dividend is whether the current payout levels are feasible. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Altra Industrial Motion's earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise exponentially over the next year. If the dividend extends its recent trend, estimates say the dividend could reach 12%, which we would be comfortable to see continuing.
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least 1 cut in the last 10 years. Since 2012, the first annual payment was US$0.20, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$0.36. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 6.1% per annum over that time. It's good to see the dividend growing at a decent rate, but the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Altra Industrial Motion might have put its house in order since then, but we remain cautious.
The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Over the past five years, it looks as though Altra Industrial Motion's EPS has declined at around 13% a year. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.
Our Thoughts On Altra Industrial Motion's Dividend
Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The payments haven't been particularly stable and we don't see huge growth potential, but with the dividend well covered by cash flows it could prove to be reliable over the short term. We don't think Altra Industrial Motion is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Altra Industrial Motion (of which 1 is potentially serious!) you should know about. 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.
