Yahoo Finance A.G. BARR (LON:BAG) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At £0.124
A.G. BARR p.l.c.'s (LON:BAG) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to £0.124 on 7th of June. This takes the annual payment to 2.7% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.
See our latest analysis for A.G. BARR
A.G. BARR's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. The last dividend was quite easily covered by A.G. BARR's earnings. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 30.4%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 33% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The dividend has gone from an annual total of £0.1 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of £0.151. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 4.2% per annum over that time. The dividend has seen some fluctuations in the past, so even though the dividend was raised this year, we should remember that it has been cut in the past.
The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Unfortunately, A.G. BARR's earnings per share has been essentially flat over the past five years, which means the dividend may not be increased each year. The company has been growing at a pretty soft 1.9% per annum, and is paying out quite a lot of its earnings to shareholders. This isn't bad in itself, but unless earnings growth pick up we wouldn't expect dividends to grow either.
Our Thoughts On A.G. BARR's Dividend
Overall, it's great to see the dividend being raised and that it is still in a sustainable range. The dividend has been at reasonable levels historically, but that hasn't translated into a consistent payment. The dividend looks okay, but there have been some issues in the past, so we would be a little bit cautious.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for A.G. BARR that investors should take into consideration. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
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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.
