Yahoo Finance Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD) Is Increasing Its Dividend To $0.375
Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 20th of January to $0.375. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 1.4%, which is below the industry average.
See our latest analysis for Royal Gold
Royal Gold's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. Prior to this announcement, Royal Gold's earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. Since a dividend means the company is paying out cash to investors, this could prove to be a problem in the future.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 2.1%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 40% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
Royal Gold Has A Solid Track Record
The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. The dividend has gone from an annual total of $0.60 in 2012 to the most recent total annual payment of $1.50. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 9.6% over that duration. Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination as it provides a nice boost to shareholder returns.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. We are encouraged to see that Royal Gold has grown earnings per share at 20% per 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 Royal Gold could prove to be a strong dividend payer.
Our Thoughts On Royal Gold's Dividend
In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Royal Gold's payments are rock solid. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For example, we've identified 3 warning signs for Royal Gold (2 are concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing. Is Royal Gold 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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