K-Bro Linen (TSE:KBL) Has Announced A Dividend Of CA$0.10

K-Bro Linen Inc. (TSE:KBL) has announced that it will pay a dividend of CA$0.10 per share on the 14th of April. This means the annual payment is 3.9% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.

View our latest analysis for K-Bro Linen

K-Bro Linen's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, K-Bro Linen's profits didn't cover the dividend, but the company was generating enough cash instead. Generally, we think cash is more important than accounting measures of profit, so with the cash flows easily covering the dividend, we don't think there is much reason to worry.

EPS is set to grow by 119.5% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, our estimates say the payout ratio could reach 95% - on the higher side, but we wouldn't necessarily say this is unsustainable.

K-Bro Linen Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. The dividend has gone from an annual total of CA$1.1 in 2013 to the most recent total annual payment of CA$1.20. Dividend payments have grown at less than 1% a year over this period. 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.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. Earnings per share has been sinking by 15% over the last five years. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.

Our Thoughts On K-Bro Linen's Dividend

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about K-Bro Linen's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. The company has been bring in plenty of cash to cover the dividend, but we don't necessarily think that makes it a great dividend stock. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. As an example, we've identified 2 warning signs for K-Bro Linen that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

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