APA Group's (ASX:APA) Dividend Will Be Increased To A$0.295

APA Group (ASX:APA) has announced that it will be increasing its periodic dividend on the 18th of September to A$0.295, which will be 1.7% higher than last year's comparable payment amount of A$0.29. This makes the dividend yield 6.6%, which is above the industry average.

View our latest analysis for APA Group

APA Group Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

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 929% 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.

EPS is set to fall by 71.2% over the next 12 months. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could reach over 200%, which could put the dividend under pressure if earnings don't start to improve.

APA Group Has A Solid Track Record

The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. The annual payment during the last 10 years was A$0.355 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was A$0.55. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 4.5% over that duration. Slow and steady dividend growth might not sound that exciting, but dividends have been stable for ten years, which we think makes this a fairly attractive offer.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. APA Group has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 28% per annum. APA Group is clearly able to grow rapidly while still returning cash to shareholders, positioning it to become a strong dividend payer in the future.

In Summary

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think APA Group's payments are rock solid. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Just as an example, we've come across 4 warning signs for APA Group you should be aware of, and 2 of them are concerning. Is APA Group 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.

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