PepsiCo's (NASDAQ:PEP) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year
PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 30th of June to US$1.15. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 2.7%.
View our latest analysis for PepsiCo
PepsiCo's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions
We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. Prior to this announcement, PepsiCo was quite comfortably covering its dividend with earnings and it was paying more than 75% of its free cash flow to shareholders. By paying out so much of its cash flows, this could indicate that the company has limited opportunities for investment and growth.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 9.9%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 58%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
PepsiCo Has A Solid Track Record
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The dividend has gone from US$2.06 in 2012 to the most recent annual payment of US$4.60. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 8.4% over that duration. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio.
PepsiCo Could Grow Its Dividend
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. PepsiCo has impressed us by growing EPS at 9.5% per 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.
Our Thoughts On PepsiCo's Dividend
Overall, it's great to see the dividend being raised and that it is still in a sustainable range. However, lack of cash flows makes us wary of the potential for cuts in the dividend's future, even though the dividend is generally looking okay. This looks like it could be a good dividend stock going forward, but we would note that the payout ratio has been at higher levels in the past so it could happen again.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. 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 3 warning signs for PepsiCo that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
