Is Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings PLC (LON:IDH) A Good Fit For Your Dividend Portfolio?

Is Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings PLC (LON:IDH) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. On the other hand, investors have been known to buy a stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations.

A 0.9% yield is nothing to get excited about, but investors probably think the long payment history suggests Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings has some staying power. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings for its dividend - read on to learn more.

Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis

Payout ratios

Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. Looking at the data, we can see that 16% of Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings' profits were paid out as dividends in the last 12 months. With a low payout ratio, it looks like the dividend is comprehensively covered by earnings.

Another important check we do is to see if the free cash flow generated is sufficient to pay the dividend. Of the free cash flow it generated last year, Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings paid out 28% as dividends, suggesting the dividend is affordable. It's positive to see that Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings' dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

While the above analysis focuses on dividends relative to a company's earnings, we do note Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings' strong net cash position, which will let it pay larger dividends for a time, should it choose.

We update our data on Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here.

Dividend Volatility

Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. The dividend has been cut on at least one occasion historically. During the past 10-year period, the first annual payment was UK£0.02 in 2010, compared to UK£0.02 last year. Dividend payments have shrunk at a rate of less than 1% per annum over this time frame.

We struggle to make a case for buying Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings for its dividend, given that payments have shrunk over the past 10 years.

Dividend Growth Potential

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share (EPS) are growing - it's not worth taking the risk on a dividend getting cut, unless you might be rewarded with larger dividends in future. Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings has grown its earnings per share at 7.6% per annum over the past five years. A low payout ratio and strong historical earnings growth suggests Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings has been effectively reinvesting in its business. We think this generally bodes well for its dividend prospects.

Conclusion

To summarise, shareholders should always check that Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings' dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. It's great to see that Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings is paying out a low percentage of its earnings and cash flow. Unfortunately, earnings growth has also been mediocre, and the company has cut its dividend at least once in the past. Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings has a number of positive attributes, but it falls slightly short of our (admittedly high) standards. Were there evidence of a strong moat or an attractive valuation, it could still be well worth a look.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. 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 4 warning signs for Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock.

We have also put together a list of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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