EQB's (TSE:EQB) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year

The board of EQB Inc. (TSE:EQB) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of CA$0.38 on the 29th of September, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 2.0%, which is below the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for EQB

EQB's Earnings Will Easily Cover The Distributions

The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock.

EQB has a long history of paying out dividends, with its current track record at a minimum of 10 years. Using data from its latest earnings report, EQB's payout ratio sits at 14%, an extremely comfortable number that shows that it can pay its dividend.

Over the next 3 years, EPS is forecast to expand by 39.2%. The future payout ratio could be 15% over that time period, according to analyst estimates, which is a good look for the future of the dividend.

EQB 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 CA$0.28 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was CA$1.52. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 18% a year over that time. We can see that payments have shown some very nice upward momentum without faltering, which provides some reassurance that future payments will also be reliable.

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. It's encouraging to see that EQB has been growing its earnings per share at 15% a year over the past five years. Growth in EPS bodes well for the dividend, as does the low payout ratio that the company is currently reporting.

We should note that EQB has issued stock equal to 10% of shares outstanding. Regularly doing this can be detrimental - it's hard to grow dividends per share when new shares are regularly being created.

We Really Like EQB's Dividend

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. 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.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for EQB that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection 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.