K-Bro Linen's (TSE:KBL) Dividend Will Be CA$0.10

The board of K-Bro Linen Inc. (TSE:KBL) has announced that it will pay a dividend of CA$0.10 per share on the 15th of September. 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 K-Bro Linen

K-Bro Linen's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Prior to this announcement, the company was paying out 136% of what it was earning. It will be difficult to sustain this level of payout so we wouldn't be confident about this continuing.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise exponentially over the next year. If recent patterns in the dividend continue, we could see the payout ratio reaching 36% which is fairly sustainable.

K-Bro Linen Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2013, the annual payment back then was CA$1.15, compared to the most recent full-year payment of CA$1.20. Dividend payments have grown at less than 1% a year over this period. Dividends have grown relatively slowly, which is not great, but some investors may value the relative consistency of the dividend.

Dividend Growth Could Be Constrained

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. K-Bro Linen has impressed us by growing EPS at 11% per year over the past five years. Although per-share earnings are growing at a credible rate, the massive payout ratio may limit growth in the company's future dividend payments.

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. Although they have been consistent in the past, we think the payments are a little high to be sustained. 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. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for K-Bro Linen that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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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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.