The board of Genuit Group plc (LON:GEN) has announced that it will pay a dividend of £0.042 per share on the 1st of October. This takes the annual payment to 3.5% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.
Genuit Group's Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings
We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. Prior to this announcement, Genuit Group'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 27.9% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 53%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
See our latest analysis for Genuit Group
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of £0.03 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of £0.125. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 15% per annum over that time. Genuit Group has grown distributions at a rapid rate despite cutting the dividend at least once in the past. Companies that cut once often cut again, so we would be cautious about buying this stock solely for the dividend income.
We Could See Genuit Group's Dividend Growing
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. Genuit Group has impressed us by growing EPS at 9.7% 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.
We Really Like Genuit Group's Dividend
In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Genuit Group that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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.