DS Smith's (LON:SMDS) Dividend Will Be £0.06

DS Smith Plc (LON:SMDS) will pay a dividend of £0.06 on the 31st of January. The dividend yield will be 5.9% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

View our latest analysis for DS Smith

DS Smith's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Based on the last payment, DS Smith's earnings were much higher than the dividend, but it wasn't converting those earnings into cash flow. Since a dividend means the company is paying out cash to investors, this could prove to be a problem in the future.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 1.8%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 55% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of £0.08 in 2013 to the most recent total annual payment of £0.18. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.4% a year over that time. It's good to see the dividend growing at a decent rate, but the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. DS Smith might have put its house in order since then, but we remain cautious.

DS Smith Could Grow Its Dividend

Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. We are encouraged to see that DS Smith has grown earnings per share at 8.7% per year over the past five years. The company is paying out a lot of its cash as a dividend, but it looks okay based on the payout ratio.

In Summary

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. While the low payout ratio is a redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. We don't think DS Smith is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. To that end, DS Smith has 3 warning signs (and 2 which are a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about. 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.