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Bega Cheese's (ASX:BGA) Dividend Will Be Increased To A$0.055

Bega Cheese Limited (ASX:BGA) has announced that it will be increasing its periodic dividend on the 23rd of September to A$0.055, which will be 10.0% higher than last year's comparable payment amount of A$0.05. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 2.7%.

Check out our latest analysis for Bega Cheese

Bega Cheese's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. Prior to this announcement, the company was paying out 138% of what it was earning, however the dividend was quite comfortably covered by free cash flows at a cash payout ratio of only 39%. Given that the dividend is a cash outflow, we think that cash is more important than accounting measures of profit when assessing the dividend, so this is a mitigating factor.

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According to analysts, EPS should be several times higher next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 42%, which would make us comfortable with the dividend's sustainability, despite the levels currently being elevated.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

Bega Cheese Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from A$0.06 total annually to A$0.11. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 6.2% over that duration. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. Earnings per share has been sinking by 39% over the last five years. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.

Our Thoughts On Bega Cheese's Dividend

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The company is generating plenty of cash, but we still think the dividend is a bit high for comfort. We don't think Bega Cheese is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. As an example, we've identified 3 warning signs for Bega Cheese 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 yield dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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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