Fresenius Medical Care's (ETR:FME) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year

Fresenius Medical Care AG's (ETR:FME) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to €1.19 on 21st of May. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 3.3%.

See our latest analysis for Fresenius Medical Care

Fresenius Medical Care's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. Prior to this announcement, Fresenius Medical Care's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 130.9% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 32% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Fresenius Medical Care Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was €0.77, compared to the most recent full-year payment of €1.19. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 4.4% over that duration. 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.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Let's not jump to conclusions as things might not be as good as they appear on the surface. Over the past five years, it looks as though Fresenius Medical Care's EPS has declined at around 23% a year. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future. 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.

In Summary

Overall, it's great to see the dividend being raised and that it is still in a sustainable range. The earnings coverage is acceptable for now, but with earnings on the decline we would definitely keep an eye on the payout ratio. This looks like it could be a good dividend stock going forward, but we would note that the payout ratio has been at higher levels in the past so it could happen again.

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. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Fresenius Medical Care 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.