Yahoo Finance ARB (ASX:ARB) Is Increasing Its Dividend To AU$0.39
ARB Corporation Limited (ASX:ARB) will increase its dividend on the 22nd of April to AU$0.39. Even though the dividend went up, the yield is still quite low at only 1.9%.
View our latest analysis for ARB
ARB's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
If it is predictable over a long period, even low dividend yields can be attractive. Prior to this announcement, ARB's dividend was only 50% of earnings, however it was paying out 289% of free cash flows. While the company may be more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business at this time, we think that a cash payout ratio this high might expose the dividend to being cut if the business ran into some challenges.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to fall by 0.05%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could be 57%, which we are pretty comfortable with and we think is feasible on an earnings basis.
ARB Has A Solid Track Record
The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from AU$0.23 to AU$0.78. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 13% a year over that time. We can see that payments have shown some very nice upward momentum without faltering, which provides some reassurance that future payments will also be reliable.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. It's encouraging to see ARB has been growing its earnings per share at 21% a year over the past five years. The company's earnings per share has grown rapidly in recent years, and it has a good balance between reinvesting and paying dividends to shareholders, so we think that ARB could prove to be a strong dividend payer.
In Summary
Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think ARB will make a great income stock. While the low payout ratio is redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
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. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for ARB (of which 2 don't sit too well with us!) you should know about. Is ARB 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.
