Zumtobel Group (VIE:ZAG) Is Increasing Its Dividend To €0.35

Zumtobel Group AG (VIE:ZAG) will increase its dividend on the 5th of August to €0.35. This makes the dividend yield 5.0%, which is above the industry average.

See our latest analysis for Zumtobel Group

Zumtobel Group's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Based on the last payment, Zumtobel Group was paying only paying out a fraction of earnings, but the payment was a massive 123% 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 fall by 17.1% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 39%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2012, the first annual payment was €0.20, compared to the most recent full-year payment of €0.35. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.8% a year over that time. We have seen cuts in the past, so while the growth looks promising we would be a little bit cautious about its track record.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. It's encouraging to see Zumtobel Group has been growing its earnings per share at 15% a year over the past five years. Zumtobel Group definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.

In Summary

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Zumtobel Group's payments are rock solid. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Zumtobel Group (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) 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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