Weir Group's (LON:WEIR) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's
The board of The Weir Group PLC (LON:WEIR) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of £0.135 on the 4th of November, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. Even though the dividend went up, the yield is still quite low at only 1.9%.
View our latest analysis for Weir Group
Weir Group's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable. Based on the last payment, Weir Group was paying only paying out a fraction of earnings, but the payment was a massive 144% of cash flows. The business might be trying to strike a balance between returning cash to shareholders and reinvesting back into the business, but this high of a payout ratio could definitely force the dividend to be cut if the company runs into a bit of a tough spot.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 53.1% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 21%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from £0.33 total annually to £0.27. Doing the maths, this is a decline of about 2.0% per year. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.
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. Weir Group has impressed us by growing EPS at 12% per year over the past five years. Growth in EPS bodes well for the dividend, as does the low payout ratio that the company is currently reporting.
In Summary
Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Weir Group will make a great income stock. While Weir Group is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We don't think Weir Group is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Weir Group that you should be aware of before investing. 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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