Yahoo Finance Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) Is Increasing Its Dividend To $0.35
Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 31st of May to $0.35. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 1.0% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.
View our latest analysis for Applied Industrial Technologies
Applied Industrial Technologies' Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
While yield is important, another factor to consider about a company's dividend is whether the current payout levels are feasible. Before making this announcement, Applied Industrial Technologies was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 2.1% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 16%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
Applied Industrial Technologies Has A Solid Track Record
The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The dividend has gone from an annual total of $0.84 in 2013 to the most recent total annual payment of $1.40. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 5.2% over that duration. The dividend has been growing very nicely for a number of years, and has given its shareholders some nice income in their portfolios.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. It's encouraging to see that Applied Industrial Technologies has been growing its earnings per share at 17% a year over the past five years. Growth in EPS bodes well for the dividend, as does the low payout ratio that the company is currently reporting.
We Really Like Applied Industrial Technologies' Dividend
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Applied Industrial Technologies is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. 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. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 3 analysts we track are forecasting for Applied Industrial Technologies for free with public analyst estimates for the company. Is Applied Industrial Technologies not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.
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