Inter Parfums (NASDAQ:IPAR) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At US$0.50

Inter Parfums, Inc. (NASDAQ:IPAR) will increase its dividend on the 31st of March to US$0.50. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 1.5%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for Inter Parfums

Inter Parfums' Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Prior to this announcement, Inter Parfums' earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. With the company not bringing in any cash, paying out to shareholders is bound to become difficult at some point.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 9.1%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 44% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

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Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was US$0.32 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was US$2.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 20% over that duration. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. We are encouraged to see that Inter Parfums has grown earnings per share at 21% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.

Our Thoughts On Inter Parfums' Dividend

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Inter Parfums' payments are rock solid. While the low payout ratio is redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. To that end, Inter Parfums has 3 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think 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.