The board of Valmet Oyj (HEL:VALMT) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 8th of April, with investors receiving €0.68 per share. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 4.9%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.
Valmet Oyj's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions
While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Before this announcement, Valmet Oyj was paying out 89% of earnings, but a comparatively small 56% of free cash flows. In general, cash flows are more important than earnings, so we are comfortable that the dividend will be sustainable going forward, especially with so much cash left over for reinvestment.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 67.8%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 62%, which would make us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend, despite the levels currently being quite high.
View our latest analysis for Valmet Oyj
Valmet Oyj Has A Solid Track Record
The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from €0.25 total annually to €1.35. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 18% per annum over that time. So, dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period.
Valmet Oyj May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Earnings have grown at around 2.5% a year for the past five years, which isn't massive but still better than seeing them shrink. Valmet Oyj's earnings per share has barely grown, which is not ideal - perhaps this is why the company pays out the majority of its earnings to shareholders. That's fine as far as it goes, but we're less enthusiastic as this often signals that the dividend is likely to grow slower in the future.
In Summary
Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. The company has been bring in plenty of cash to cover the dividend, but we don't necessarily think that makes it a great dividend stock. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 7 analysts we track are forecasting for Valmet Oyj for free with public analyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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.
About HLSE:VALMT
Valmet Oyj
Develops and supplies process technologies, automation, and services for the pulp, paper, and energy industries in North America, South America, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific.
Excellent balance sheet established dividend payer.
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