LANXESS (ETR:LXS) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At €1.05

The board of LANXESS Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:LXS) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 31st of May to €1.05. This takes the annual payment to 2.8% of the current stock price, which unfortunately is below what the industry is paying.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. LANXESS' stock price has reduced by 32% in the last 3 months, which is not ideal for investors and can explain a sharp increase in the dividend yield.

See our latest analysis for LANXESS

LANXESS' Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. Prior to this announcement, LANXESS' earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. In general, we consider cash flow to be more important than earnings, so we would be cautious about relying on the sustainability of this dividend.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 46.8%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 31%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2012, the first annual payment was €0.85, compared to the most recent full-year payment of €1.05. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.1% a year over that time. Modest growth in the dividend is good to see, but we think this is offset by historical cuts to the payments. It is hard to live on a dividend income if the company's earnings are not consistent.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. However, LANXESS has only grown its earnings per share at 3.9% per annum over the past five years. LANXESS is struggling to find viable investments, so it is returning more to shareholders. This isn't bad in itself, but unless earnings growth pick up we wouldn't expect dividends to grow either.

In Summary

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think LANXESS' payments are rock solid. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We don't think LANXESS is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. 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 5 warning signs for LANXESS you should be aware of, and 1 of them makes us a bit uncomfortable. Is LANXESS not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.