Emera (TSE:EMA) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At CA$0.66

Emera Incorporated's (TSE:EMA) dividend will be increasing to CA$0.66 on 15th of November. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 4.4%.

See our latest analysis for Emera

Emera Doesn't Earn Enough To Cover Its Payments

We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. Before this announcement, Emera was paying out 104% of what it was earning, and not generating any free cash flows either. Paying out such a large dividend compared to earnings while also not generating free cash flows is a major warning sign for the sustainability of the dividend as these levels are certainly a bit high.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 14.4%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could reach 102%, which probably can't continue putting some pressure on the balance sheet.

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Emera Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2011, the first annual payment was CA$1.30, compared to the most recent full-year payment of CA$2.65. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.4% 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.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. However, initial appearances might be deceiving. In the last five years, Emera's earnings per share has shrunk at approximately 6.0% per annum. 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. Earnings are predicted to grow over the next year, but we would remain cautious until a track record of earnings growth is established.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Emera's payments are rock solid. Although they have been consistent in the past, we think the payments are a little high to be sustained. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, Emera has 3 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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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