Yahoo Finance Lear (NYSE:LEA) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of $0.77
The board of Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 27th of December, with investors receiving $0.77 per share. This means that the annual payment will be 2.1% of the current stock price, which is in line with the average for the industry.
View our latest analysis for Lear
Lear's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Lear's dividend was making up a very large proportion of earnings and perhaps more concerning was that it was 637% of cash flows. This is certainly a risk factor, as reduced cash flows could force the company to pay a lower dividend.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise exponentially over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate that the payout ratio could reach 16%, which is in a comfortable range for us.
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from $0.56 total annually to $3.08. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 19% over that duration. Dividends have grown rapidly over this time, but with cuts in the past we are not certain that this stock will be a reliable source of income in the future.
Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Over the past five years, it looks as though Lear's EPS has declined at around 25% a year. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. 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.
Lear's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable
Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. The track record isn't great, and the payments are a bit high to be considered sustainable. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. As an example, we've identified 4 warning signs for Lear that you should be aware of before investing. Is Lear 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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