Van Elle Holdings (LON:VANL) Has Announced A Dividend Of £0.008

Van Elle Holdings plc's (LON:VANL) investors are due to receive a payment of £0.008 per share on 18th of October. Including this payment, the dividend yield on the stock will be 2.7%, which is a modest boost for shareholders' returns.

See our latest analysis for Van Elle Holdings

Van Elle Holdings' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable. However, Van Elle Holdings' earnings easily cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 59.5% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 16% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Van Elle Holdings' Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

Even in its relatively short history, the company has reduced the dividend at least once. This suggests that the dividend might not be the most reliable. The annual payment during the last 8 years was £0.017 in 2016, and the most recent fiscal year payment was £0.012. This works out to be a decline of approximately 4.3% per year over that time. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

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. Although it's important to note that Van Elle Holdings' earnings per share has basically not grown from where it was five years ago, which could erode the purchasing power of the dividend over time.

Our Thoughts On Van Elle Holdings' Dividend

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

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. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Van Elle Holdings that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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.