Yahoo Finance American International Group (NYSE:AIG) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At $0.40
American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 28th of June to $0.40. The payment will take the dividend yield to 2.1%, which is in line with the average for the industry.
View our latest analysis for American International Group
American International Group's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. Before making this announcement, American International Group was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 22.9% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 18% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
American International Group Has A Solid Track Record
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was $0.40, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $1.60. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 15% per annum over that time. So, dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. We are encouraged to see that American International Group has grown earnings per share at 35% per year over the past five years. Earnings have been growing rapidly, and with a low payout ratio we think that the company could turn out to be a great dividend stock.
We Really Like American International Group's Dividend
Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. 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. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for American International Group that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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.