Melexis (EBR:MELE) Has Announced A Dividend Of €0.91

The board of Melexis NV (EBR:MELE) has announced that it will pay a dividend of €0.91 per share on the 19th of October. This makes the dividend yield 4.1%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

See our latest analysis for Melexis

Melexis' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Melexis' earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. Since a dividend means the company is paying out cash to investors, this could prove to be a problem in the future.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 30.3%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 42% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

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 annual payment during the last 10 years was €0.65 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was €3.50. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 18% 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.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

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. Melexis has impressed us by growing EPS at 13% per year over the past five years. While on an earnings basis, this company looks appealing as an income stock, the cash payout ratio still makes us cautious.

In Summary

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Melexis' payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We don't think Melexis is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular 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 identified 2 warning signs for Melexis (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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