BT Group (LON:BT.A) Is Increasing Its Dividend To £0.0569

BT Group plc's (LON:BT.A) periodic dividend will be increasing on the 11th of September to £0.0569, with investors receiving 5.6% more than last year's £0.0539. This takes the annual payment to 5.6% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that BT Group's stock price has increased by 31% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

View our latest analysis for BT Group

BT Group's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. Before making this announcement, BT Group's was paying out quite a large proportion of earnings and 80% of free cash flows. This indicates that the company is more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business, but we don't think that there are necessarily signs that the dividend might be unsustainable.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 61.4%. 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.

Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from £0.095 total annually to £0.08. This works out to be a decline of approximately 1.7% per year over that time. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Over the past five years, it looks as though BT Group's EPS has declined at around 17% a year. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future. Over the next year, however, earnings are actually predicted to rise, but we would still be cautious until a track record of earnings growth can be built.

BT Group's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think BT Group will make a great income stock. The track record isn't great, and the payments are a bit high to be considered sustainable. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 4 warning signs for BT Group that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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.

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