Yahoo Finance Empire's (TSE:EMP.A) Dividend Will Be Increased To CA$0.15
The board of Empire Company Limited (TSE:EMP.A) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 30th of July to CA$0.15. Based on the announced payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 1.4%, which is fairly typical for the industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Empire
Empire's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. Before making this announcement, Empire was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.
Over the next year, EPS could expand by 79.3% if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 12%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
Empire Has A Solid Track Record
The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was CA$0.27 in 2011, and the most recent fiscal year payment was CA$0.60. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 8.4% over that duration. The dividend has been growing very nicely for a number of years, and has given its shareholders some nice income in their portfolios.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. We are encouraged to see that Empire has grown earnings per share at 79% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.
Empire Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
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. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Empire that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
