Volex (LON:VLX) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To UK£0.022

Volex plc's (LON:VLX) dividend will be increasing to UK£0.022 on 6th of August. Even though the dividend went up, the yield is still quite low at only 0.9%.

View our latest analysis for Volex

Volex's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

While yield is important, another factor to consider about a company's dividend is whether the current payout levels are feasible. Before making this announcement, Volex was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to fall by 34.8%. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 20%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2011, the dividend has gone from US$0.032 to US$0.045. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 3.5% per annum over that time. Modest growth in the dividend is good to see, but we think this is offset by historical cuts to the payments. It is hard to live on a dividend income if the company's earnings are not consistent.

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. Volex has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 66% per annum. Earnings have been growing rapidly, and with a low payout ratio we think that the company could turn out to be a great dividend stock.

We Really Like Volex's Dividend

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. The company is generating plenty of cash, and the earnings also quite easily cover the distributions. If earnings do fall over the next 12 months, the dividend could be buffeted a little bit, but we don't think it should cause too much of a problem in the long term. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Just as an example, we've come across 2 warning signs for Volex you should be aware of, and 1 of them can't be ignored. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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