Essentra (LON:ESNT) Is Increasing Its Dividend To UK£0.04

Essentra plc (LON:ESNT) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 1st of June to UK£0.04. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 1.9% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Essentra

Essentra's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. The last payment was quite easily covered by earnings, but it made up 112% of cash flows. This signals that the company is more focused on returning cash flow to shareholders, but it could mean that the dividend is exposed to cuts in the future.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 86.9% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 28% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from UK£0.10 to UK£0.08. The dividend has shrunk at around 2.7% a year during that period. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Essentra has impressed us by growing EPS at 51% per year over the past five years. Essentra is clearly able to grow rapidly while still returning cash to shareholders, positioning it to become a strong dividend payer in the future.

Our Thoughts On Essentra's Dividend

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While the low payout ratio is redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've picked out 2 warning signs for Essentra that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

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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.