The board of Glanbia plc (ISE:GL9) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 4th of October, with investors receiving $0.1564 per share. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 2.1%, which is below the industry average.
Check out our latest analysis for Glanbia
Glanbia's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. Before making this announcement, Glanbia was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. 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 24.4%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 29%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
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. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $0.137 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $0.376. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 11% per annum over that time. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.
The Dividend Has Growth Potential
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Glanbia has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 6.3% per annum. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.
Our Thoughts On Glanbia's Dividend
Overall, it's great to see the dividend being raised and that it is still in a sustainable range. The dividend has been at reasonable levels historically, but that hasn't translated into a consistent payment. Taking all of this into consideration, the dividend looks viable moving forward, but investors should be mindful that the company has pushed the boundaries of sustainability in the past and may do so again.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Glanbia that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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.
About ISE:GL9
Very undervalued with flawless balance sheet and pays a dividend.
