Alpha Financial Markets Consulting's (LON:AFM) Dividend Will Be Increased To £0.075

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting plc's (LON:AFM) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to £0.075 on 20th of September. This makes the dividend yield 2.4%, which is above the industry average.

View our latest analysis for Alpha Financial Markets Consulting

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Alpha Financial Markets Consulting's profits didn't cover the dividend, but the company was generating enough cash instead. Healthy cash flows are always a positive sign, especially when they quite easily cover the dividend.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 189.9%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 54%, which would make us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend, despite the levels currently being quite high.

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting's Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

Even in its relatively short history, the company has reduced the dividend at least once. If the company cuts once, it definitely isn't argument against the possibility of it cutting in the future. The annual payment during the last 5 years was £0.0296 in 2017, and the most recent fiscal year payment was £0.104. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 29% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown rapidly over this time, but with cuts in the past we are not certain that this stock will be a reliable source of income in the future.

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting's Dividend Might Lack Growth

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. It's encouraging to see that Alpha Financial Markets Consulting has been growing its earnings per share at 30% a year over the past five years. While EPS is growing rapidly, Alpha Financial Markets Consulting paid out a very high 135% of its income as dividends. If earnings continue to grow, this dividend may be sustainable, but we think a payout this high definitely bears watching.

Our Thoughts On Alpha Financial Markets Consulting's Dividend

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We don't think Alpha Financial Markets Consulting is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

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. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for Alpha Financial Markets Consulting that investors should take into consideration. 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.