K-Bro Linen (TSE:KBL) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of CA$0.10

K-Bro Linen Inc.'s (TSE:KBL) investors are due to receive a payment of CA$0.10 per share on 15th of November. The dividend yield will be 3.9% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

See our latest analysis for K-Bro Linen

K-Bro Linen's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Before making this announcement, the company's dividend was much higher than its earnings. It will be difficult to sustain this level of payout so we wouldn't be confident about this continuing.

According to analysts, EPS should be several times higher next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate that the payout ratio could reach 36%, which is in a comfortable range for us.

K-Bro Linen 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$1.15 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was CA$1.20. Its dividends have grown at less than 1% per annum over this time frame. 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 Could Be Constrained

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. K-Bro Linen has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 11% per annum. However, the company isn't reinvesting a lot back into the business, so we would expect the growth rate to slow down somewhat in the future.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

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. In the past the payments have been stable, but we think the company is paying out too much for this to continue for the long term. We don't think K-Bro Linen is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

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. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for K-Bro Linen 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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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.