Yahoo Finance Universal (NYSE:UVV) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year
Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) will increase its dividend on the 1st of August to US$0.79. The announced payment will take the dividend yield to 4.9%, which is in line with the average for the industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Universal
Universal's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. Prior to this announcement, Universal's dividend was making up a very large proportion of earnings, and the company was also not generating any cash flow to offset this. We think that this practice can make the dividend quite risky in the future.
Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 31.6% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 73%, which would make us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend, despite the levels currently being quite high.
Universal 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 US$1.92 to US$3.16. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 5.1% per annum over that time. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio.
Dividend Growth Could Be Constrained
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. We are encouraged to see that Universal has grown earnings per share at 32% per year over the past five years. Earnings per share is growing nicely, but the company is paying out most of its earnings as dividends. This might be sustainable, but we wonder why Universal is not retaining those earnings to reinvest in growth.
Our Thoughts On Universal's Dividend
Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. We can't deny that the payments have been very stable, but we are a little bit worried about the very high payout ratio. We don't think Universal is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Universal (of which 1 doesn't sit too well with us!) you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield 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.
