Yahoo Finance Rentokil Initial's (LON:RTO) Dividend Will Be Increased To £0.0515
Rentokil Initial plc's (LON:RTO) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to £0.0515 on 17th of May. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 1.4%, which is fairly typical for the industry.
View our latest analysis for Rentokil Initial
Rentokil Initial's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Rentokil Initial's earnings. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 145.0% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 38%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. Since 2013, the annual payment back then was £0.021, compared to the most recent full-year payment of £0.0755. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 14% over that duration. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.
The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential
Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Rentokil Initial's earnings per share has shrunk at 24% a year over the past five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough. Over the next year, however, earnings are actually predicted to rise, but we would still be cautious until a track record of earnings growth can be built.
We should note that Rentokil Initial has issued stock equal to 35% of shares outstanding. Regularly doing this can be detrimental - it's hard to grow dividends per share when new shares are regularly being created.
Our Thoughts On Rentokil Initial's Dividend
In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Rentokil Initial's payments are rock solid. In the past, the payments have been unstable, but over the short term the dividend could be reliable, with the company generating enough cash to cover it. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Rentokil Initial (of which 1 is a bit unpleasant!) you should know about. 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.
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