Yahoo Finance British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of £0.5445
British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS) will pay a dividend of £0.5445 on the 10th of November. This payment means that the dividend yield will be 6.3%, which is around the industry average.
Check out our latest analysis for British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Prior to this announcement, British American Tobacco's dividend made up quite a large proportion of earnings but only 49% of free cash flows. Since the dividend is just paying out cash to shareholders, we care more about the cash payout ratio from which we can see plenty is being left over for reinvestment in the business.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 80.7%. Assuming the dividend continues along the course it has been charting recently, our estimates show the payout ratio being 54% which brings it into quite a comfortable range.
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. Since 2012, the annual payment back then was £1.26, compared to the most recent full-year payment of £2.18. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.6% a year over that time. We have seen cuts in the past, so while the growth looks promising we would be a little bit cautious about its track record.
Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. However, British American Tobacco's EPS was effectively flat over the past five years, which could stop the company from paying more every year. Slow growth and a high payout ratio could mean that British American Tobacco has maxed out the amount that it has been able to pay to shareholders. This isn't the end of the world, but for investors looking for strong dividend growth they may want to look elsewhere.
In Summary
Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. 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 would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For example, we've picked out 2 warning signs for British American Tobacco that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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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