Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) Is Increasing Its Dividend To AU$1.75

Mineral Resources Limited (ASX:MIN) will increase its dividend on the 7th of September to AU$1.75. This takes the annual payment to 4.5% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.

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. Investors will be pleased to see that Mineral Resources' stock price has increased by 38% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

View our latest analysis for Mineral Resources

Mineral Resources' Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Prior to this announcement, Mineral Resources was quite comfortably covering its dividend with earnings and it was paying more than 75% of its free cash flow to shareholders. The business is earning enough to make the dividend feasible, but the cash payout ratio of 94% indicates it is more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 2.3%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 52%, 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. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was AU$0.20 in 2011, and the most recent fiscal year payment was AU$2.75. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 30% a year over that time. Dividends have grown rapidly over this time, but with cuts in the past we are not certain that this stock will be a reliable source of income in the future.

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. Mineral Resources has impressed us by growing EPS at 51% 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

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Mineral Resources will make a great income stock. The low payout ratio is a redeeming feature, but generally we are not too happy with the payments Mineral Resources has been making. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Mineral Resources (of which 2 don't sit too well with us!) you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.

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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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