Yahoo Finance Nufarm's (ASX:NUF) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's
Nufarm Limited (ASX:NUF) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 9th of December to A$0.06. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 2.0%, which is below the industry average.
Check out our latest analysis for Nufarm
Nufarm's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. However, Nufarm's earnings easily cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 66.3%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 21% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of A$0.06 in 2012 to the most recent total annual payment of A$0.12. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 7.2% per annum over that time. It's good to see the dividend growing at a decent rate, but the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Nufarm might have put its house in order since then, but we remain cautious.
Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. It's not great to see that Nufarm's earnings per share has fallen at approximately 6.3% per year over the past five years. Declining earnings will inevitably lead to the company paying a lower dividend in line with lower profits. 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 Nufarm's Dividend
In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Nufarm's payments are rock solid. 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.
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. Given that earnings are not growing, the dividend does not look nearly so attractive. Very few businesses see earnings consistently shrink year after year in perpetuity though, and so it might be worth seeing what the 12 analysts we track are forecasting for the future. Is Nufarm not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.
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