Melexis' (EBR:MELE) Dividend Will Be €0.91

Melexis NV (EBR:MELE) will pay a dividend of €0.91 on the 20th of October. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 3.6%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Melexis

Melexis' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Melexis was quite comfortably covering its dividend with earnings and it was paying more than 75% of its free cash flow to shareholders. By paying out so much of its cash flows, this could indicate that the company has limited opportunities for investment and growth.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 27.0% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 36% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2012, the annual payment back then was €0.60, compared to the most recent full-year payment of €2.60. 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.

Melexis Could Grow Its Dividend

Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. It's encouraging to see that Melexis has been growing its earnings per share at 9.3% a year over the past five years. Earnings are on the uptrend, and it is only paying a small portion of those earnings to shareholders.

Our Thoughts On Melexis' 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. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Melexis that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Melexis 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.