Bunzl (LON:BNZL) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To £0.501
Bunzl plc (LON:BNZL) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 2nd of July to £0.501. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 2.3%, which is fairly typical for the industry.
View our latest analysis for Bunzl
Bunzl's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Bunzl's earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 7.4%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 43% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
Dividend Volatility
Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was £0.294 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was £0.683. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 8.8% per annum over that time. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once.
The Dividend Has Growth Potential
Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. It's encouraging to see that Bunzl has been growing its earnings per share at 9.8% a year over the past five years. The company is paying a reasonable amount of earnings to shareholders, and is growing earnings at a decent rate so we think it could be a decent dividend stock.
Bunzl Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. 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. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Bunzl that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Bunzl 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.
