Erste Group Bank (VIE:EBS) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year

The board of Erste Group Bank AG (VIE:EBS) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 25th of May to €1.60. This takes the dividend yield from 5.8% to 9.4%, which shareholders will be pleased with.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Erste Group Bank's stock price has reduced by 35% in the last 3 months, which is not ideal for investors and can explain a sharp increase in the dividend yield.

Check out our latest analysis for Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Erste Group Bank is quite easily earning enough to cover the dividend, however it is being let down by weak cash flows. We think that cash flows should take priority over earnings, so this is definitely a worry for the dividend going forward.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 1.4%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 64% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Erste Group Bank's Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

Erste Group Bank has been paying dividends for a while, but the track record isn't stellar. This makes us cautious about the consistency of the dividend over a full economic cycle. The dividend has gone from €0.40 in 2013 to the most recent annual payment of €1.60. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 17% per annum over that time. 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.

We Could See Erste Group Bank's Dividend Growing

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. It's encouraging to see Erste Group Bank has been growing its earnings per share at 9.8% a year over the past five years. With a decent amount of growth and a low payout ratio, we think this bodes well for Erste Group Bank's prospects of growing its dividend payments in the future.

In Summary

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Erste Group Bank's payments are rock solid. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Erste Group Bank (of which 2 are a bit concerning!) you should know about. 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.