Hapag-Lloyd (ETR:HLAG) Is Increasing Its Dividend To €3.50

The board of Hapag-Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:HLAG) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 2nd of June to €3.50. This takes the annual payment to 2.2% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.

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. Investors will be pleased to see that Hapag-Lloyd's stock price has increased by 30% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

Check out our latest analysis for Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Lloyd's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. However, Hapag-Lloyd's earnings easily cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 39.6%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 18% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Hapag-Lloyd Is Still Building Its Track Record

Looking back, the dividend has been stable, but the company hasn't been paying a dividend for very long so we can't be confident that the dividend will remain stable through all economic environments. The dividend has gone from US$0.16 in 2019 to the most recent annual payment of US$4.10. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 406% per annum over that time. The dividend has been growing rapidly, however with such a short payment history we can't know for sure if payment can continue to grow over the long term, so caution may be warranted.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Hapag-Lloyd has impressed us by growing EPS at 83% per year over the past five years. Rapid earnings growth and a low payout ratio suggest this company has been effectively reinvesting in its business. Should that continue, this company could have a bright future.

We Really Like Hapag-Lloyd's Dividend

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Hapag-Lloyd (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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