MLP (ETR:MLP) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of €0.30

MLP SE's (ETR:MLP) investors are due to receive a payment of €0.30 per share on 2nd of July. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 5.5%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for MLP

MLP's 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, MLP's 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 34.8%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 51%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

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. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from €0.32 total annually to €0.30. Payments have been decreasing at a very slow pace in this time period. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.

We Could See MLP's Dividend Growing

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. MLP has impressed us by growing EPS at 7.5% per year over the past five years. The company is paying out a lot of its cash as a dividend, but it looks okay based on the payout ratio.

In Summary

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. While MLP is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. 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. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for MLP that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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.