DCC (LON:DCC) Is Increasing Its Dividend To UK£0.56

DCC plc (LON:DCC) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 10th of December to UK£0.56, which will be 7.5% higher than last year. Based on the announced payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 2.7%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for DCC

DCC's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Prior to this announcement, DCC'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.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 21.9%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 49% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

DCC Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2011, the first annual payment was UK£0.58, compared to the most recent full-year payment of UK£1.60. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 11% per annum over that time. Rapidly growing dividends for a long time is a very valuable feature for an income stock.

The Dividend Has Growth Potential

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. DCC has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 8.0% per annum. Earnings are on the uptrend, and it is only paying a small portion of those earnings to shareholders.

We Really Like DCC'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 easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. 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. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for DCC that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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.

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