Wüstenrot & Württembergische (ETR:WUW) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of €0.65

Wüstenrot & Württembergische AG's (ETR:WUW) investors are due to receive a payment of €0.65 per share on 30th of May. This means the annual payment will be 3.7% of the current stock price, which is lower than the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for Wüstenrot & Württembergische

Wüstenrot & Württembergische's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. Wüstenrot & Württembergische is quite easily earning enough to cover the dividend, however it is being let down by weak cash flows. With the company not bringing in any cash, paying out to shareholders is bound to become difficult at some point.

EPS is set to fall by 31.0% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 26%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

Wüstenrot & Württembergische Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2012, the first annual payment was €0.50, compared to the most recent full-year payment of €0.65. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 2.7% per annum over that time. While the consistency in the dividend payments is impressive, we think the relatively slow rate of growth is less attractive.

We Could See Wüstenrot & Württembergische's Dividend Growing

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. We are encouraged to see that Wüstenrot & Württembergische has grown earnings per share at 8.5% per year over the past five years. Wüstenrot & Württembergische definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.

Our Thoughts On Wüstenrot & Württembergische's Dividend

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Wüstenrot & Württembergische's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. While the low payout ratio is redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. 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. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Just as an example, we've come across 3 warning signs for Wüstenrot & Württembergische you should be aware of, and 2 of them are concerning. 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.