Savaria Corporation (TSE:SIS) has announced that it will pay a dividend of CA$0.0467 per share on the 9th of January. Based on this payment, the dividend yield will be 2.4%, which is fairly typical for the industry.
While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Savaria's earnings. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 34.7% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 51% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
See our latest analysis for Savaria
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The annual payment during the last 10 years was CA$0.16 in 2015, and the most recent fiscal year payment was CA$0.56. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 13% per annum over that time. It is good to see that there has been strong dividend growth, and that there haven't been any cuts for a long time.
Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. We are encouraged to see that Savaria has grown earnings per share at 9.5% per year over the past five years. Since earnings per share is growing at an acceptable rate, and the payout policy is balanced, we think the company is positioning itself well to grow earnings and dividends in the future.
Overall, we like to see the dividend staying consistent, and we think Savaria might even raise payments in the future. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Savaria that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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.