Yahoo Finance Australian Finance Group (ASX:AFG) Is Increasing Its Dividend To AU$0.074
Australian Finance Group Limited (ASX:AFG) will increase its dividend on the 23rd of September to AU$0.074. This makes the dividend yield 4.5%, which is above the industry average.
See our latest analysis for Australian Finance Group
Australian Finance Group's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions
A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Australian Finance Group was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 10.3%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 69%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
Australian Finance Group's Dividend Has Lacked Consistency
Even in its relatively short history, the company has reduced the dividend at least once. This suggests that the dividend might not be the most reliable. Since 2015, the first annual payment was AU$0.043, compared to the most recent full-year payment of AU$0.13. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 21% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown rapidly over this time, but with cuts in the past we are not certain that this stock will be a reliable source of income in the future.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Australian Finance Group has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 13% per annum. 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 Australian Finance 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.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Australian Finance Group that investors should take into consideration. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.
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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