Stock Analysis

Digia Oyj (HEL:DIGIA) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of €0.17

HLSE:DIGIA
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Digia Oyj (HEL:DIGIA) will pay a dividend of €0.17 on the 3rd of April. The dividend yield is 2.8% based on this payment, which is a little bit low compared to the other companies in the industry.

See our latest analysis for Digia Oyj

Digia Oyj's 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, Digia Oyj's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 73.5% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 32%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

historic-dividend
HLSE:DIGIA Historic Dividend February 16th 2023

Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of €0.10 in 2013 to the most recent total annual payment of €0.17. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.4% a year over that time. We like to see dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

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. Digia Oyj has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 54% per annum. Digia Oyj is clearly able to grow rapidly while still returning cash to shareholders, positioning it to become a strong dividend payer in the future.

We Really Like Digia Oyj's Dividend

Overall, we think that this is a great income investment, and we think that maintaining the dividend this year may have been a conservative choice. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Digia Oyj that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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.