Jack Henry & Associates (NASDAQ:JKHY) Is Increasing Its Dividend To $0.52
The board of Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ:JKHY) has announced that the dividend on 24th of March will be increased to $0.52, which will be 6.1% higher than last year's payment of $0.49 which covered the same period. This takes the annual payment to 1.2% of the current stock price, which unfortunately is below what the industry is paying.
Check out our latest analysis for Jack Henry & Associates
Jack Henry & Associates' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. Based on the last payment, Jack Henry & Associates was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 39.2%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 32% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
Jack Henry & Associates Has A Solid Track Record
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2013, the annual payment back then was $0.46, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $1.96. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 16% over that duration. So, dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period.
Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve
Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Unfortunately, Jack Henry & Associates' earnings per share has been essentially flat over the past five years, which means the dividend may not be increased each year. Growth of 1.2% per annum is not particularly high, which might explain why the company is paying out a higher proportion of earnings. This isn't bad in itself, but unless earnings growth pick up we wouldn't expect dividends to grow either.
Jack Henry & Associates 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. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Jack Henry & Associates that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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.
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