Schaffer (ASX:SFC) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of A$0.45

Schaffer Corporation Limited's (ASX:SFC) investors are due to receive a payment of A$0.45 per share on 23rd of September. This makes the dividend yield 4.9%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

Check out our latest analysis for Schaffer

Schaffer's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Schaffer was earning enough to cover the previous dividend, but it was paying out quite a large proportion of its free cash flows. The company is clearly earning enough to pay this type of dividend, but it is definitely focused on returning cash to shareholders, rather than growing the business.

Over the next year, EPS could expand by 30.4% if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 44% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

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. The annual payment during the last 10 years was A$0.20 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was A$0.90. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 16% a year 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.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. We are encouraged to see that Schaffer has grown earnings per share at 30% per year over the past five years. The company doesn't have any problems growing, despite returning a lot of capital to shareholders, which is a very nice combination for a dividend stock to have.

Our Thoughts On Schaffer's Dividend

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. The company hasn't been paying a very consistent dividend over time, despite only paying out a small portion of earnings. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've picked out 2 warning signs for Schaffer that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Is Schaffer not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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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.