TietoEVRY Oyj's (HEL:TIETO) Dividend Will Be Increased To €0.66

TietoEVRY Oyj (HEL:TIETO) will increase its dividend on the 6th of October to €0.66. This will take the annual payment from 4.5% to 4.5% of the stock price, which is above what most companies in the industry pay.

View our latest analysis for TietoEVRY Oyj

TietoEVRY Oyj's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, TietoEVRY Oyj's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 13.5%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 61%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least 1 cut in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from €0.70 in 2011 to the most recent annual payment of €1.32. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 6.5% over that duration. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once.

The Dividend Has Growth Potential

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. We are encouraged to see that TietoEVRY Oyj has grown earnings per share at 5.1% per year over the past five years. Earnings are on the uptrend, and it is only paying a small portion of those earnings to shareholders.

In Summary

Overall, this is a reasonable dividend, and it being raised is an added bonus. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company's dividend track record isn't stellar. The dividend looks okay, but there have been some issues in the past, so we would be a little bit cautious.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for TietoEVRY Oyj that investors should take into consideration. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.

If you’re looking to trade a wide range of investments, open an account with the lowest-cost* platform trusted by professionals, Interactive Brokers. Their clients from over 200 countries and territories trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds worldwide from a single integrated account. Promoted

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
^*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

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