Gabriel Holding's (CPH:GABR) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's

Gabriel Holding A/S (CPH:GABR) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 14th of December to kr.9.75. This makes the dividend yield 1.5%, which is above the industry average.

See our latest analysis for Gabriel Holding

Gabriel Holding's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Gabriel Holding was paying only paying out a fraction of earnings, but the payment was a massive 159% of cash flows. The business might be trying to strike a balance between returning cash to shareholders and reinvesting back into the business, but this high of a payout ratio could definitely force the dividend to be cut if the company runs into a bit of a tough spot.

Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 6.2% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 40% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from kr.3.25 in 2011 to the most recent annual payment of kr.9.75. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 12% per annum over that time. It is great to see strong growth in the dividend payments, but cuts are concerning as it may indicate the payout policy is too ambitious.

Gabriel Holding Could Grow Its Dividend

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. Gabriel Holding has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 6.2% per annum. With a decent amount of growth and a low payout ratio, we think this bodes well for Gabriel Holding's prospects of growing its dividend payments in the future.

In Summary

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While Gabriel Holding is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Just as an example, we've come across 3 warning signs for Gabriel Holding you should be aware of, and 2 of them shouldn't be ignored. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.