Apiam Animal Health (ASX:AHX) Has Re-Affirmed Its Dividend Of AU$0.012

Apiam Animal Health Limited (ASX:AHX) will pay a dividend of AU$0.012 on the 22nd of October. This means the dividend yield will be fairly typical at 2.6%.

Check out our latest analysis for Apiam Animal Health

Apiam Animal Health's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Apiam Animal Health's earnings. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 40.8%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 48%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Apiam Animal Health Is Still Building Its Track Record

It is great to see that Apiam Animal Health has been paying a stable dividend for a number of years now, however we want to be a bit cautious about whether this will remain true through a full economic cycle. Since 2016, the dividend has gone from AU$0.016 to AU$0.024. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 8.4% per annum over that time. Apiam Animal Health has a nice track record of dividend growth but we would wait until we see a longer track record before getting too confident.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Apiam Animal Health has impressed us by growing EPS at 119% 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.

The company has also been raising capital by issuing stock equal to 15% of shares outstanding in the last 12 months. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective.

Apiam Animal Health Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, we think that this is a great income investment, and we think that maintaining the dividend this year may have been a conservative choice. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For example, we've picked out 4 warning signs for Apiam Animal Health that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list 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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