Yahoo Finance Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of $0.37
Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.37 per share on the 31st of July. This makes the dividend yield 3.2%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.
View our latest analysis for Campbell Soup
Campbell Soup's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, Campbell Soup's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 25.9%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 46%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
Campbell Soup Has A Solid Track Record
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2013, the annual payment back then was $1.16, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $1.48. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.5% a year over that time. Although we can't deny that the dividend has been remarkably stable in the past, the growth has been pretty muted.
Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Let's not jump to conclusions as things might not be as good as they appear on the surface. Over the past five years, it looks as though Campbell Soup's EPS has declined at around 4.7% a year. A modest decline in earnings isn't great, and it makes it quite unlikely that the dividend will grow in the future unless that trend can be reversed. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this can turn into a longer term trend.
In Summary
Overall, a consistent dividend is a good thing, and we think that Campbell Soup has the ability to continue this into the future. While the payments look sustainable for now, earnings have been shrinking so the dividend could come under pressure in the future. This looks like it could be a good dividend stock going forward, but we would note that the payout ratio has been at higher levels in the past so it could happen again.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Campbell Soup that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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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