Gamma Communications (LON:GAMA) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To UK£0.088

Gamma Communications plc (LON:GAMA) will increase its dividend on the 23rd of June to UK£0.088. This takes the annual payment to 1.0% of the current stock price, which unfortunately is below what the industry is paying.

See our latest analysis for Gamma Communications

Gamma Communications' Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. However, prior to this announcement, Gamma Communications' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 8.7%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 24% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Gamma Communications Is Still Building Its Track Record

Gamma Communications' dividend has been pretty stable for a little while now, but we will continue to be cautious until it has been demonstrated for a few more years. The dividend has gone from UK£0.04 in 2015 to the most recent annual payment of UK£0.13. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 19% a year over that time. We're not overly excited about the relatively short history of dividend payments, however the dividend is growing at a nice rate and we might take a closer look.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. It's encouraging to see Gamma Communications has been growing its earnings per share at 23% a year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.

We Really Like Gamma Communications' Dividend

Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Gamma Communications is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

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. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Gamma Communications that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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