NRW Holdings' (ASX:NWH) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year

The board of NRW Holdings Limited (ASX:NWH) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend by 13% on the 9th of October to A$0.09, up from last year's comparable payment of A$0.08. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 4.4%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for NRW Holdings

NRW Holdings' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. The last payment was quite easily covered by earnings, but it made up 176% of cash flows. While the company may be more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business at this time, we think that a cash payout ratio this high might expose the dividend to being cut if the business ran into some challenges.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 37.5%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 53%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

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 2014, the dividend has gone from A$0.09 total annually to A$0.155. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 5.6% per annum 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 evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. NRW Holdings has impressed us by growing EPS at 22% 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.

In Summary

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think NRW Holdings' payments are rock solid. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We don't think NRW Holdings is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for NRW Holdings that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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.