Vidrala, S.A. (BME:VID) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 13th of February to €0.9978. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 1.7%, which is below the industry average.
The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. However, prior to this announcement, Vidrala's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 11.6%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 20%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
View our latest analysis for Vidrala
The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was €0.443, compared to the most recent full-year payment of €1.47. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 13% a year over that time. Rapidly growing dividends for a long time is a very valuable feature for an income stock.
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Vidrala has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 12% per annum. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Vidrala is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 10 Vidrala analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. Is Vidrala 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.