Yahoo Finance Ingredion (NYSE:INGR) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At US$0.65
Ingredion Incorporated's (NYSE:INGR) dividend will be increasing to US$0.65 on 25th of October. This takes the annual payment to 2.9% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.
See our latest analysis for Ingredion
Ingredion's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. Prior to this announcement, the company was paying out 124% of what it was earning, however the dividend was quite comfortably covered by free cash flows at a cash payout ratio of only 44%. Healthy cash flows are always a positive sign, especially when they quite easily cover the dividend.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 113.8% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 62%, which would make us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend, despite the levels currently being quite high.
Ingredion Has A Solid Track Record
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was US$0.56 in 2011, and the most recent fiscal year payment was US$2.60. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 17% 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 Has Limited Growth Potential
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Let's not jump to conclusions as things might not be as good as they appear on the surface. Earnings per share has been sinking by 20% over the last five years. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.
In Summary
Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Ingredion will make a great income stock. The company is generating plenty of cash, but we still think the dividend is a bit high for comfort. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For instance, we've picked out 4 warning signs for Ingredion that investors should take into consideration. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.
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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